MRCE: Renewal Proposal for Center for Theoretical Studies of Physical Systems

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HRD-9632844 Clark Atlanta University A renewal proposal has been submitted on behalf of the Center for Theoretical Studies of Physical Systems (CTSPS) at Clark Atlanta University (CAU). During its first 4 plus years of existence, CTSPS has become a regional resource center surpassing all of its objectives: prosecution of forefront, basic and applied, research; production of significant numbers of peer reviewed publications; presentation of research results at national and international conferences; creation of a sophisticated research computing facility, including the most powerful CRAY platform in Georgia; acquisition of $6.2 million dollars in non-NSF federal funding; formation of academic/corporate research-educational partnerships support of research faculty from the Atlanta University Center (AUC); hiring of key researchers to coordinate and stimulate new interdisciplinary interactions; creation of a vital visiting scientists program; support for important local, national, and international conferences; production of significant numbers of Ph.D. bound minority students; creation of a Mobile Physics/Mathematics Demonstration Unit; and promotion of technology transfer in important areas such as infrared sensor technology, and image processing (to name a few). These accomplishments have catapulted CAU s research capacity into a nationally competitive research center of excellence. CTSPS has become a paradigm for quality, cost-effective, research and research training in the physical and mathematical sciences, within the AUC. It has positioned CAU s physics department to become one of the outstanding computational physics programs in the nation. Efficient use of NSF funded resources has allowed CTSPS to leverage non-NSF support for expensive items (i.e. powerful computers, etc.), all dedicated to solving important problems in diverse areas. The establishment of a world class research center, within an HBCU environment, continues to positively impact the student body, attracting many CAU/AUC students from all SEM disciplines. Accordingly, CTSPS is a genuine national resource whose continued funding would insure the consolidation and growth of a vital and nationally important research enterprise (in the context of a newly created HCU institution) contributing to the nation s technological readiness, and serving as a vital professional role model to the underrepresented minorities in the sciences, engineering, and mathematics.