Abstract: Eight research topicsof the cutting-edge, which include multiscale modeling schemes, novelcomputational schemes, nanomechanics, stochastic mechanics of microstructures,nonlocal theories and implementation, materials design, cellularmaterials, in-situconstituent material property/behavior estimation are discussed in this paper. Thisintroduction based on the presentations and penal discussions at theICHMM is tointroduce the new concepts and research directions developed at theICHMM, which isto bring forth the science in interdisciplinary fields of materials science and solidmechanics in an integrated fashion and to emphasize a more in-depth understandingof the fundamentals of the broad theme of heterogeneous materials mechanics.