“How did materials help us become what we are today? Join Professor Stephen L. Sass as he discusses his book, The Substance of Civilization: Materials and Human History From the Stone Age to the Age of Silicon.

“Materials enabled revolutionary advances in how we live, work, fight and travel, hence the naming of eras after them -- Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages. This talk explores the role of materials in the development of modern industrial civilizations by putting technology into an historical and human context, examining the advances made possible by innovations with materials.” [35 min]

Credit: This video was recorded on March 11, 2011 for CornellCast and is also available at: http://www.cornell.edu/video/stephen-sass-the-substance-of-civilization