MRSEC News

September 8, 2011
NSF Announces Results of the Materials Research Centers and Teams Competition

The National Science Foundation (NSF) today announced awards for three Materials Interdisciplinary Research Teams (MIRT) and nine Centers of Excellence in Materials Research and Innovation, also known as Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC). The awards resulted from the 2011 Materials Research Centers and Teams competition (solicitation NSF 10-568).

June 3, 2010
Upcoming Competition for NSF Materials Research Centers and Teams

Centers of Excellence for Materials Research and Innovation (CEMRIs) provide sustained support of interdisciplinary materials research and education of the highest quality while addressing fundamental problems in science and engineering. CEMRIs address research of a scope and complexity requiring the advantages of scale and interdisciplinarity provided by a campus-based research center.

September 9, 2009
Xavier U. Of Louisiana & NYU Receive $3-Million NSF Grant to Enhance Diversity Among Materials Scientists Through Collaborative Research

Xavier University of Louisiana and New York University have received a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation to bolster diversity among materials scientists through collaborative research and curriculum development. The award was one of eight awarded this year under NSF’s Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials (PREM) program and funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

June 29, 2009
MRSEC booth at the NSF's 2009 Joint Annual Meeting

MRSEC programs provide transformative opportunities for  students and faculty at minority-serving institutions to participate in leading-edge materials science and engineering  research. But in order to encourage more underrepresented  minority researchers to take advantage of these opportunities, we need to cultivate personal connections with those at
minority serving institutions. At the meeting, we networked with HRD PIs to identify potential collaborative opportunities on behalf of the nationwide network of MRSECs. We disseminated   information about MRSEC research and education activities, and referred participants to programs of interest at individual MRSECs.

April 28, 2009
Prof. H. Atwater (CalTech MRSEC) featured in the April edition of US News and World Report

REINVENTING PHOTOVOLTAICS

When Harry Atwater was a student in Pennsylvania during the oil shocks of the 1970s, his elementary school had to close for weeks at a time during the winter because of a fuel shortage. “That made a powerful impres- sion,” says Atwater, now the director of the center for sustainable energy research at the California Institute of Technology, where he has devoted his career to finding a more reliable source of energy.

September 30, 2008
NSF Awards 14 Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers

The National Science Foundation (NSF) announces 14 Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSECs) awarded as a result of the 2008 MRSEC competition (solicitation NSF 07-563).

MRSECs support outstanding multi- and inter-disciplinary materials research and education addressing fundamental problems in science and engineering. These centers investigate complex problems that benefit from the scope and level of interactions provided by a center. They foster active collaboration among universities, other MRSECs, industry, and National Laboratories.

June 20, 2008
Study Finds New Properties in “Non-Magnetic” Materials
A team of Penn State researchers has shown for the first time that the entire class of "non-magnetic" materials, such as those used in some computer components, could have considerably more uses than scientists had thought. The findings are important because they reveal previously unknown information about the structure of these materials, expanding the number of properties that they potentially could have. A material's properties, such as electrical conductivity and mechanical strength, are what determine its usefulness.
August 3, 2007
A New Wrinkle in Thin Film Science

A starburst of wrinkles form in a thin film material when a drop of water is placed on the film.Credit and Larger Version

A remarkably simple experiment devised by scientists yields important information about the mechanical properties of thin films--nanoscopically thin layers of material that are deposited onto a metal, ceramic or semiconductor base.

June 22, 2007
Impact of the NSF's Materials Research Science & Engineering Centers Program

An Assessment of the Impact of the NSF's Materials Research Science & Engineering Centers Program was carried out by an independent NRC committee over a 2-year period.

The purpose of this study was to:

August 20, 2006
New Centers - Welcome

MRSEC program welcomes two new centers: