Penn State Intercom......September 21, 2000

NSF funding creates
interdisciplinary research center

"The center provides an opportunity for faculty members and graduate students from four different colleges and six departments to work together on applications and materials that could have an important impact in fundamental and applied science," said Moses Chan, Evan Pugh professor of physics and director of the newly established center.

According to the NSF, the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) program that funded the center allows scientists to "undertake materials research of scope and complexity that would not be feasible under traditional funding of individual research projects." The newly funded center was one of just a handful selected from an initial pool of almost 100 proposals nationwide that requested NSF support.

According to Chan, the framework for the MRSEC was established by the Materials Research Institute (MRI) and its director, Carlo Pantano. The MRI represents more than 200 faculty members who already conduct interdisciplinary materials research. That existing interdisciplinary effort paved the way for the NSF-funded center.

According to the proposal, the center's initial research includes three primary thrusts: tunable photonic materials, fluid phase transitions, and electronic properties of infiltrated metals. Leaders for those respective research groups are: Theresa Mayer, associate professor of electrical engineering; Paul Sokol, professor of physics; and Thomas Mallouk, DuPont professor of materials chemistry.

Other faculty members involved with the project have academic appointments in the Eberly College of Science, the College of Engineering, the College of Agricultural Sciences, the College of Earth and Mineral Science and some also are affiliated with the MRI. Investigators are: Jayanth Banavar, professor of physics; Vincent Crespi, Downsbrough professor of physics; Peter Eklund, professor of physics; Iam-Choon Khoo, professor of electrical engineering; Sanat Kumar, professor of materials science and engineering; Karl Mueller, associate professor of chemistry; and Qiming Zhang, associate professor of electrical engineering.

Educational opportunities for graduate students represent another benefit to Penn State from the center. In its first year alone, the MRSEC will serve 15 graduate students.

With the NSF-funded research center, the University plans to construct a central laboratory and theory center for those involved in the project. The project features ambitious goals for the inclusion of minorities and women as well as education and outreach efforts to the general public. In addition, there are plans for interaction with industry partners and national laboratories.

In the long term, the University's potential industrial partners for the center could benefit from new technology ranging from gas separation and storage to the development of components that would improve the capabilities of fiber-optic networks.

Director brings NAS credentials to position

With the creation of a National Science Foundation Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, Moses Chan, Evan Pugh professor of physics, becomes director of the center -- newly christened the Center for Collective Phenomena in Restricted Geometries.

Although Chan often downplays his accomplishments, his efforts in the field of low-temperature physics earn respect internationally. In addition, he has become a leader within the Department of Physics.

For his work, he recently was elected as Penn State's newest member to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), considered one of the highest honors that can be accorded a U.S. scientist.

Still, Chan considers himself the "new kid on the block" because the University boasts six of its currently active faculty members who also are members of the National Academy of Sciences.

They are:

n Stephen J. Benkovic, Evan Pugh professor of chemistry and holder of the Eberly Family Chair in chemistry. Elected 1985.

n A. Welford Castleman, Evan Pugh professor of chemistry. Elected 1998.

n Nina Fedoroff, Verne M. Willaman professor of life sciences, director of the Life Sciences Consortium and director of the Biotechnology Institute. Elected 1990.

n Roger Penrose, Francis R. and Helen M. Pentz distinguished professor of physics. Elected 1998.

n Calyampudi R. Rao, holder of the Eberly Family Chair in statistics and director of the Center for Multivariate Analysis. Elected 1995.