Chiral superconductivity — a long-sought quantum phase with potential applications in quantum technologies — has eluded definitive microscopic confirmation for decades. While several candidate materials exhibit signatures of time-reversal symmetry breaking, such evidence alone does not prove chiral Cooper pairing.

Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a spray-on polymer coating that could help plants resist harmful bacterial infections and survive drought. The advance, published in ACS Materials Letters, could help strengthen global food security as increased environmental stresses continue to intensify plant disease pressures.

Professor and Racheff Faculty Scholar Pinshane Huang of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at The Grainger College of Engineering and MRSEC IRG1 Leader has been recognized by Physics World as being responsible for one of the Top 10 Breakthroughs of the Year for 2025.

NU-MRSEC's outreach program aims to enhance K-12 interest in science and engineering by developing innovative infrastructure and initiatives to inform the public and inspire future scientists.

NPEP, an initiative by Northwestern University, provides comprehensive liberal arts education to incarcerated students in Illinois, partnering with Oakton Community College to enhance academic engagement and social impact.

In collaboration with the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry and the Chicago Public Library, the NU-MRSEC launched the Materials Science Exhibit at the Harold Washington Library in downtown Chicago.

The Northwestern University MRSEC supported the new exhibition Paint the Eyes Softer: Mummy Portraits from Roman Egypt at the Northwestern University Block Museum. The exhibit explores the art and science of mummy relics from the Fayum region in Egypt during the Roman period. In a unique interdisciplinary collaboration, the exhibition featured results from an advanced undergraduate seminar, which was co-listed in both the Department of  Materials Science and Engineering and the Department of Classics.

Engineering Transdisciplinary Outreach Program in the Arts (ETOPiA) is a Northwestern University MRSEC education and outreach program that uses theater and film media to inspire a cross-disciplinary dialogue about the role of science and technology in society and to highlight some of the ethical and moral implications of scientific and technological progress.

NU-MRSEC advances world-class materials research, education, and outreach via active interdisciplinary collaborations within the Center and with external partners in academia, industry, national laboratories, and museums, both domestically and abroad.

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