NSF Award
1827847
Non-technical Summary:<br/><br/>The Partnership in Research and Education for Materials (PREM) project for Functional Nanomaterials is creating a new partnership between Fort Lewis College (FLC; a non-tribal Native American Serving Institution), Norfolk State University (NSU; a member of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities), and the STROBE NSF Science and Technology Center for Real-Time Functional Imaging. The partnership strategically leverages (1) advanced microscopy for imaging functional nanosystems being developed at STROBE, (2) extensive world-class fabrication capabilities for advanced materials at NSU, and (3) expertise and infrastructure for material characterization and nanofabrication at FLC. The collaboration enables advances in cutting edge materials science, exposes and attracts students from diverse groups to exciting applications in STEM, utilizes novel and effective curricula, networks, and pathways that recruit and retain the best in STEM. This PREM project directly funds approximately 50 undergraduate researchers and 24 high school researchers at FLC and NSU. It also reaches out to diverse populations of high school students with expanded STEM recruiting efforts and provides pathways for students to careers in science and engineering. PREM leverages existing infrastructures within STROBE, providing student access to world-class research mentors, facilities and projects at the cutting edge of material science and functional imaging. The student experience in this PREM is immersive through not only year-long, hands on research but also mentoring, professional development, leadership opportunities, and network building; all with the goal of improving recruitment, retention, and graduation of underrepresented minority students in STEM. This PREM develops the next generation of scientists and engineers with emphasis and experience in materials and imaging science and related disciplines.<br/><br/>Technical Summary:<br/><br/>Thermoelectrics, nanotherapeutics, and nanoelectronics are pushing ever deeper into the nanoscale regime, with characteristic dimensions already at 10nm. However, a fundamental understanding of the role of defects and interfaces, deviations from bulk behavior, or the relationship between multi-scale structure and nanostructured material properties is still elusive. The PREM for functional nanomaterials leverages advanced fabrication techniques and capabilities at NSU with advanced characterization capabilities at FLC to better understand materials at the nano-scale. The partnership with STROBE will enable PREM students to access world-class imaging facilities, transdisciplinary research, and industry and government collaborators, connecting them to a broad set of student and faculty mentors. The PREM for functional nanomaterials research focuses on understanding and utilizing the interplay of atomic- and nanoscale structure with functionality in three different research thrust areas, providing a diverse set of opportunities for student involvement in different stages and facets of material science research. The three thrust areas are: 1) understanding the role of crystal structure and defects on the thermoelectric and topological insulator properties of chalcogenide bulk materials; 2) understanding and utilizing the role of nanoscale geometry on the thermoelectric efficiency of a simple device; and 3) understanding and controlling nanoscale structuring and interface quality in materials that are a key component for applications in brain imaging and living cell imaging. The results of this research will ultimately change the way materials for energy, electronics, and medicine applications are utilized.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
