NSF Award Abstract - #9972776

AWSFL008-DS3

IGERT Formal Proposal: Molecularly Designed Materials

Abstract

This Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT) award supports the establishment of a multidisciplinary graduate training program of education and research associated with emerging technologies of Molecularly Designed Materials. Two principal focus areas are: (1) Electronic and Photonic Materials, and (2) Designed Nanostructures. Projects share the theme of designing molecules for some new technological use, or to optimize the performance of such materials in devices, e.g. LEDs , TFTs, sensors, etc. Faculty participants are from the Departments of Chemistry, Materials Science and Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Applied Physics, Electrical Engineering, and the School of Public Health, as well as the Macromolecular Science and Engineering Center, and the Center for Display Technology and Manufacturing. Scientists from National and industrial laboratories are also intimately involved in the research and training. Educational breadth is furnished by a novel curriculum that features a cohesive set of courses drawn from 4 departments, new modular courses, and a research internship rotation. The research environment is characterized by, state-of-the-art facilities. The breadth of the collaborative research and the integrated course work insures a broadly educated student, familiar with the important issues in the science and technology of molecularly designed materials.

IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to facilitate the establishment of innovative, research-based graduate programs that will train a diverse group of scientists and engineers to be well-prepared to take advantage of a broad spectrum of career options. IGERT provides doctoral institutions with an opportunity to develop new, well-focussed multidisciplinary graduate programs that transcend organizational boundaries and unite faculty from several departments or institutions to establish a highly interactive, collaborative environment for both training and research. In this second year of the program, awards are being made to twenty-one institutions for programs that collectively span all areas of science and engineering supported by NSF. This specific award is supported by funds from the Directorates for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (Office of Multidisciplinary Activities), Geosciences, for Engineering, and for Education and Human Resources.