An overview of some of developments in advanced materials containing review papers based on tutorial lectures given at The First Pan American Advanced Study Institute held in Merida, Mexico, 1995. Each paper serves as a comprehensive introduction and review to the topic covered. Topics include: diamond and related materials, nanocrystalline metals and ceramics, Co-based alloys for biomedical applications, high-temperature superconductivity materials, composite materials, cement-based materials, and ion-implanted ceramics and structural ceramics. Each chapter emphasizes the relationships among processing parameters, micro-structure and properties.