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This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.
Four New NSF Centers Will Explore Methods to Create Innovative MaterialsThe 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: Attachment: NSF Awards for Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers
NSF Awards for Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers
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