As we begin the second century of X-ray use, we are already learning that X-rays will be more than just a tool to visualize atomic detail.

The present trend towards ultra-miniature design, exemplified by the rapid evolution of the integrated circuit, is creating the need to manufacture products with physical features smaller than the wavelength of visible light (5000 Å). A technique called X-ray Lithography is just beginning to create micro-mechanical devices - machines with moving parts having dimensions as small or smaller than the width of a hair. It is easy to imagine that in the near future X-rays will not only play an increasingly important role in Research and Development, but will have a significant impact on manufacturing as well.

1997 also marks the beginning of the third decade of operation of the CHESS laboratory and the welcoming of a new CHESS Director - Sol Gruner. Sol brings to Cornell and CHESS a vital scientific program in the areas of soft matter research, including model membrane, novel liquid crystal structures and protein folding studies. His group has also been one of the pioneers in developing electronic CCD area detectors whose applications to x-ray data collection have had huge impacts on many areas of synchrotron science, most notably the fields of small-angle scattering and protein crystallography.