papers from the american ceramic societys 31st international conference on advanced ceramics and composites, held in daytona beach, florida, january 21-26, 2007. content includes fundamental links among processing, microstructure, properties and performance of ceramics and composites, and how these change as a function of time, temperature and environment. reviews progress on ternary compounds, ultra-high temperature ceramics, innovative processing techniques to achieve multifunctional properties and materials for power generation and nuclear energy applications.