The National Science Foundation (NSF) today announced the establishment of four new Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSECs) that will explore innovative materials and stimulate the integration of research and education in the field of materials science. NSF will invest $24 million over five years in the centers.
The new centers will be located at the California Institute of Technology, the University of Oklahoma/University of Arkansas, Pennsylvania State University and the University of Virginia. Each award is initially for five years, and continued NSF support is possible through competitive review. State governments and industry partners will also contribute substantial support to the new centers.
NSF also announced new awards for 11 existing materials centers, for a total of $110 million over five years. They are located at Brown University, the University of California at Santa Barbara, Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell University, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland/Rutgers University, Northwestern University, the University of Pennsylvania, State University of New York at Stony Brook and the University of Wisconsin.
MRSECs work closely with industry to identify and address key obstacles to future materials development. Much of the work takes place at the nanoscale, requiring specialized equipment and expertise to create new properties that could potentially revolutionize consumer and industrial products.
"The products of modern materials research impact our economy and our everyday lives," said Thomas Weber, director of NSF's Division of Materials Research. "The centers address fundamental science and engineering problems in the creation of new materials. They also provide students a highly interdisciplinary education that is prized by potential employers in industry, academia and government."
NSF currently supports 29 MRSECs with a total annual investment of $52.5 million. Each center focuses on a specialized area such as polymers, biomolecular, electronic or superconducting materials. They integrate their research and educational programs by involving students in research activities and contributing courses and materials to the academic institutions.
Advances that have come out of MRSECs include new types of magnetic devices for information storage, nanoparticle assemblies linked by DNA, a superelastic form of the widely used plastic polypropylene and the ability to induce chemical reactions on a chip.
The new Center for the Science and Engineering of Materials at the California Institute of Technology will investigate biological approaches to synthesizing and assembling polymers for use in electronic or optical devices.
The Center for Semiconductor Physics in Nanostructures at the University of Oklahoma and University of Arkansas will explore semiconductor nanostructures and their potential applications.
Penn State's Center for Porous Materials will study the effects of confining molecules, electrons or light in ultra-small porous systems. Potential applications include building blocks for molecular electronics or photonic crystals.
The Center for Nanoscopic Design at the University of Virginia will explore the assembly of highly perfected nanoscale structures. Applications include quantum dot electronics, biological templating and nanoscale control of electrochemical reactions.
Media contact:
Amber Jones
(703) 292-8070/aljones@nsf.gov
Program contact:
Ulrich Strom
(703) 292-4938/ustrom@nsf.gov
For more information, see: http://www.nsf.gov/mps/dmr/mrsec.htm and http://www.mrsec.org
Awards for New Centers
Center for the Science and Engineering of Materials
$9.60M/5 yrs
California Institute of Technology
Director: Julia Kornfield
This new center supports an interdisciplinary research program on advanced materials, including biological approaches for the synthesis and assembly of polymeric materials and new strategies to produce bulk metallic glasses and their composites with enhanced mechanical properties. The center also conducts a wide range of educational activities, including outreach to minority communities in California both at the pre-college and college level and development of pre-college instructional materials.
Center for Semiconductor Physics in Nanostructures
$4.50M/5yrs
University of Oklahoma/University of Arkansas
Director: Matthew Johnson
This new center, a partnership between the two universities, supports an interdisciplinary research program on semiconductor nanostructure science and applications. The center is engaged in a number of educational activities from the graduate to the middle school level, including support for workshops for middle and high school science teachers, and support for production
of science videos.
Center for Porous Hosts
$4.29M/5 yrs
Pennsylvania State University
Director: Moses Chan
The research in this new center focuses on the collective molecular, photonic and electronic effects that emerge in nanometer-scale porous systems of one-, two- and threedimensional connectivity. Industrial interaction includes industrial symposia and student internships. Educational efforts seek training of teachers and encourage innovative educational contributions of the center faculty and students. Collaborations
with the Franklin Institute and local public radio stations are designed for developing outreach programs.
The Center for Nanoscopic Design
$5M/5 yrs
University of Virginia
Director: Robert Hull
This new MRSEC investigates guided growth processes of semiconductor surfaces with the purpose of assembling highly perfected nanoscale structures. Potential applications include quantum dot electronics, biological templating, and nanoscale control of electrochemical reactions. Industrial and academic partners are closely integrated into the research plan. The educational outreach program emphasizes students at smaller universities and community colleges in the commonwealth.
New Awards for Existing Centers
Micro- and Nanomechanics of Electronic and Structural Materials
$7.05M/5 yrs
Brown University
Materials Research Laboratory
$16.4M/5 yrs
University of California at Santa Barbara
Materials Research Science and Engineering Center
$4.30M/5 yrs
Carnegie Mellon University
Center for Materials Research
$19.9M/5 yrs
Cornell University
Center on Nanostructured Materials
$5.40M/5 yrs
Johns Hopkins University
Materials Research Science and Engineering Center
$10M/5yrs
University of Maryland/Rutgers University
Materials Research Science and Engineering Center
$12.4M/5 yrs
Northwestern University
Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter
$17M/5 yrs
University of Pennsylvania
Novel Materials,Processes and Surfaces by Thermal Spray State
$4M/5 yrs
University of New York at Stony Brook
Polymers at Engineered Interfaces
$3.61M/5 yrs
State University of New York at Stony Brook
Nanostructured Materials and Interfaces
$11.7M/5 yrs
University of Wisconsin