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The traditional home for research on materials at the University of Pennsylvania (PENN) is the Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter (LRSM). The LRSM is an autonomous entity, with its own building and laboratory space, which was created specifically to foster collaborative, interdisciplinary research on the PENN campus. The LRSM receives funding from PENN and the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support a Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at PENN. The principal investigator on the NSF grant is Michael L. Klein, Director of the LRSM. The MRSEC provides core support for selected Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs) and seed projects to pursue a range of fundamental materials problems, involving collaborations with industry and National Laboratories. In addition, the LRSM is developing new-shared experimental facilities (SEFs) both in-house and at National Laboratories. The LRSM is also helping to sustain SEFs that are vital tools for the local materials research community. The LRSM maintains a broad range of innovative educational outreach activities to the materials community, local colleges, and high schools. The LRSM runs a vigorous summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program, with a special emphasis on participation by women and under-represented groups.

The LRSM is funded as a MRSEC (NSF grant DMR00-79909), with a special focus on "soft" materials. The four IRGs that currently comprise the PENN MRSEC are:

Functional Biomolecular Materials
Carbon Nanotube-Derived Materials
Microscale Soft Materials
Multifunctional Complex Oxides

Education and Human Resources:

The LRSM building provides the home for researchers from several departments. It also provides a forum to bring together researchers from different schools: Engineering, Arts & Science, and Medicine. LRSM hosts numerous undergraduate, graduate, and laboratory courses, workshops, colloquia and seminars for IRGs, a monthly Frontiers of Materials Science lecture, three endowed lectureships, and topical symposia. The LRSM runs a very successful NSF REU program. In 2000, 25 undergraduates were awarded summer fellowships. The LRSM also runs an enrichment course for local high school science teachers to expose them to The World of Advanced Materials. LRSM is a partner with the PENN Summer Science Academy, which offers a four-week program on materials science for high school juniors drawn from a national pool, which includes minorities. Since 1999, under the NSF RET (Research Experience for Teachers) program, area high school science teachers have spent six weeks working in research groups of LRSM faculty.

Shared Experimental Facilities:

These play a vital role in the MRSEC research and in promoting collaboration and outreach. SEFs are a focal point for knowledge transfer to industry and graduate education. They are utilized by external organizations as well as MRSEC students and postdoctorals. PENN research centers that benefit from the SEFs include, The Johnson Foundation for Molecular Biophysics, The Institute for Medicine & Engineering, The Center for Dental Bioengineering, The Center for Molecular Modeling, The Center for Advanced Imaging & Micromanipulation, and The Museum Applied Science Center for Archeology. SEFs provide the basis for an annual workshop Advanced Techniques for Materials Characterization, which draws participants from local companies and universities.

Collaborative Activities with Industry and Other Sectors:

The LRSM is a charter member of The Complex Materials Consortium (Exxon, Princeton, UCSB/LANL, UT/ORNL and BNL), which is building a beam-line (Sector 9) at APS/ANL. The LRSM is working with UCSB, Hughes, AlliedSignal and DuPont to develop a Filter Analyzer Neutron Spectrometer at the NIST Center for Neutron Research. The LRSM has strong ties to Princeton University, via collaborative research, joint facilities development, and educational initiatives. There are also research ties to BNL, LANL, NIST, ORNL and Sandia National Labs and other National Laboratories plus strong collaborations with major industrial laboratories e.g., IBM, DuPont, Lucent. These interactions are often at the grass roots level, which is a proven and effective way to ensure knowledge transfer and industry involvement in fundamental research.

Management:

The MRSEC provides the core of the LRSM activities and is managed through its governance structures. The LRSM Director reports through the Vice Provost for Research to the Provost and President of the University. The Director receives advice from an Executive Committee (EC) on technical matters and allocation of funds to the IRGs and SEFs and a Program Committee (PC), composed of the EC, IRG leaders and senior faculty, on strategic issues, policy and planning. An External Advisory Board (EAB), drawn from leaders of research in industry and other sectors, reviews the program and gives advice on ways to enhance collaborative research and outreach. The Materials Research Council (MRC), composed of department chairs, will enable the MRSEC to coordinate with PENN's overall materials effort. The administrative staff consists of an associate director, responsible for educational outreach and coordination of the SEFs, a business manager, an assistant to the director, and a building manager. PENN's Center for Technology Transfer assists in industrial outreach and works with faculty to commercialize inventions and discoveries. The faculty and the various advisory committees ensure that the research supported by the LRSM continues to evolve and remain vibrant.