Book excerpt: An Introduction to Materials Engineering and Science for Chemical and Materials Engineers provides a solid background in materials engineering and science for chemical and materials engineering students. This book: Organizes topics on two levels; by engineering subject area and by materials class. Incorporates instructional objectives, active-learning principles, design-oriented problems, and web-based information and visualization to provide a unique educational experience for the student. Provides a foundation for understanding the structure and properties of materials such as ceramics/glass, polymers, composites, bio-materials, as well as metals and alloys. Takes an integrated approach to the subject, rather than a "metals first" approach.