Award Abstract #0212302
University of Minnesota-Materials Research Science and Engineering Center

NSF Org:	DMR Division of Materials Research
Initial Amendment Date:	September 17, 2002
Latest Amendment Date:	July 23, 2008
Award Number:	0212302
Award Instrument:	Cooperative Agreement
Program Manager:	Thomas P. Rieker DMR Division of Materials Research MPS Directorate for Mathematical & Physical Sciences
Start Date:	September 1, 2002
Expires:	August 31, 2009 (Estimated)
Awarded Amount to Date:	$14884500
Investigator(s):	Timothy Lodge lodge@chem.umn.edu (Principal Investigator) Michael Ward (Former Principal Investigator)
Sponsor:	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities 200 OAK ST SE MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55455 612/624-5599
NSF Program(s):	MATERIALS RSCH SCI & ENG CENT, OFFICE OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY AC
Field Application(s):	0106000 Materials Research
Program Reference Code(s):	SMET, AMPP, 9251, 9250, 9178, 9177, 9162, 9161, 7569, 7237, 1735, 1682, 1359, 1022
Program Element Code(s):	1735, 1253

ABSTRACT

The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at the University of Minnesota supports an interdisciplinary research program with over twenty faculty participants from the departments of chemical engineering and materials science, electrical and computer engineering, physics, and chemistry. TheCenter's research is organized into three interdisciplinary research groups (IRGs). IRG1, Microstructured Polymers, investigates the use of block copolymers to direct the structure and function of microstructured molecular materials. IRG 2, Crystalline Organic Semiconductors, is a new effort whose goals are to elucidate structure-property relationships and to apply that knowledge to the synthesis of new organic semiconductors with enhanced performance in field-effect transistors. IRG3, Magnetic Heterostructures, aims to understand interfacial spin transport, magnetization dynamics, and exchange coupling in magnetic heterostructures with well characterized interfaces.

The Center's research benefits from extensive materials synthesis and characterization facilities that include microscopy, X-ray scattering, polymer synthesis, rheology, molecular characterization and tissue mechanics. The MRSEC operates a broad education and outreach program that includes summer research fellowships for faculty-student teams from four-year colleges, fellowships for individual Native American students, research experiences for undergraduates and for teachers. The Center also has an extensive industrial partnership program by which member companies participate in collaborative research and education efforts with MRSEC faculty participants.

Participants in the Center currently include 23 senior investigators, 6 postdoctoral associates, 27 graduate students, and 2 technicians and other support personnel. Professor Michael D. Ward directs the MRSEC.

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