DMR is...The Division of Materials Research (DMR) is the unit of the
Federal Government with primary responsibility for the overall health of materials
research and education in the nation's colleges and universities. Materials research
addresses and integrates a wide range of activities ranging from the quantum realm
to engineering systems. As an integrated field it is relatively young although
it has deep roots in physics, chemistry, ceramics, metallurgy, and engineering.
Most US university materials departments were established in the 1960s and 1970s,
DMR was created in 1972, and the Materials Research Society, the professional
society that perhaps maps most closely on to this rapidly moving field, was established
in 1973.
The DMR budget in FY 2000 was over $190 million. The Division comprises
nine programs including Condensed Matter Physics,
Solid State Chemistry, Polymers,
Metals, Ceramics,
Electronic Materials, Materials
Theory, Materials Research Science and
Engineering Centers, and National Facilities
and Instrumentation. Modes of support
range from individual investigator awards to groups, multidisciplinary
centers and user facilities. DMR awards directly support the efforts of
more than 2000 college and university faculty members and about 3000 students
and postdoctoral investigators. In addition, well over 1000 investigators
make use of DMR-supported facilities in synchrotron radiation, neutron
scattering, nanofabrication and high magnetic fields every year.
Recently there has been new emphasis on support
for innovative educational projects and on the development of international partnerships
and collaborations, and DMR is a key player in NSF priority areas such as nanoscale
science and engineering. DMR supports vigorous programs enabling pre-college students,
undergraduates, and pre-college and community college teachers to gain hands-on
research experience. The Division also supports active collaborations among investigators
from academia, industry and national laboratories. Within this overall framework,
DMR strongly encourages high-risk research with potential for high scientific
or technological impact; support for women and minorities; projects integrating
research and education; and projects with the broad multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary
approach needed to address many of the complex and challenging problems in materials
research.
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