The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Division of Materials Research selected the partnership between the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez (UPRM) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) for funding through the Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials Research (PREM) program.
Through PREM, NSF supports connections between minority-serving institutions and major-research centers, helping to broaden access to materials science-focused research opportunities. Eleven institutions received PREM awards in this competition. The Wisconsin MRSEC was selected for its collaboration with the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez (UPRM) to further pursue research in nano and soft materials.
Over the next six years, the partnership will receive $4.2 million to steward this partnership. Research topics include developing new catalysts for the creation of green energy, understanding the physics and materials science of novel superconductors, and devising ways to stabilize new drug formulations. Beyond the research opportunities, Assistant Director of Education and Outreach for MRSEC, Shelly Grandell sees it as so much more.
“The main goal of this partnership is to increase involvement in STEM fields and inspire the next generation of question askers and problem solvers who want to pursue research and degrees in these fields,” she says.
With support from MRSEC, UPRM’s PREM program (the Center for Advancing Research and Training for STEM Success) is training teachers to educate, engage and inspire Hispanic, K-12 students, undergraduates and graduate students about the possibilities STEM careers can provide. The center is particularly focused on empowering Hispanic women in materials science and related graduate programs.