At the Nexus of Science, Engineering, and Sustainability

Tribology is the field of study focused on interfacial phenomena occurring at surfaces moving relative to one another, phenomena that significantly affect our everyday lives. There are multiple fundamental principles that underlie friction, wear, and lubrication; thus, the field is naturally interdisciplinary, encompassing physics, chemistry, biology, mechanical engineering, materials science and engineering, chemical engineering, metrology, etc. With the growth of electric vehicles and increasing concerns about health and environmental issues, sustainability has become a core value of tribology. Diverse and inclusive education of next-generation tribologists is also important to achieve the range of different perspectives needed for innovation. The 2024 GRC on tribology will be a forum in which experts meet to identify and discuss multidisciplinary, multiscale, and multifaceted challenges that tribology is facing and should address to make our society more sustainable.