NSF PR 00-65 - September 27, 2000
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Four New NSF Centers Will Explore Methods to Create
Innovative Materials
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.
For more information, see:
http://www.nsf.gov/mps/dmr/mrsec.htm
http://www.mrsec.org
Attachment: NSF Awards
for Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers
Attachment
NSF Awards for Materials Research Science and Engineering
Centers
Awards for
New Centers |
Center for the Science
and Engineering of Materials
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. |
$9.60M / 5
yrs |
Center for Semiconductor
Physics in Nanostructures
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. |
$4.50M / 5 yrs |
Center for Porous Hosts
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. |
$4.29M / 5 yrs |
The Center for Nanoscopic
Design
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. |
$5.00M / 5 yrs |
New Awards for
Existing Centers |
Micro- and Nanomechanics
of Electronic and Structural Materials
Brown University |
$7.05M / 5 yrs |
Materials Research Laboratory
University of California at Santa Barbara |
$16.4M / 5 yrs |
Materials Research Science
and Engineering Center
Carnegie Mellon University |
$4.30M / 5 yrs |
Center for Materials Research
Cornell University |
$19.9M / 5 yrs |
Center on Nanostructured
Materials
Johns Hopkins University |
$5.40M / 5 yrs |
Materials Research Science
and Engineering Center
University of Maryland/Rutgers University |
$10.0M / 5 yrs |
Materials Research Science
and Engineering Center
Northwestern University |
$12.4M / 5 yrs |
Laboratory for Research
on the Structure of Matter
University of Pennsylvania |
$17.0M / 5 yrs |
Novel Materials, Processes
and Surfaces by Thermal Spray
State University of New York at Stony
Brook |
$4.00M / 5 yrs |
Polymers at Engineered
Interfaces
State University of New York at Stony
Brook |
$3.61M / 5 yrs |
Nanostructured Materials
and Interfaces
University of Wisconsin |
$11.7M / 5 yrs |
|