IGERT: Macromolecular Science and Infrastructure Engineering (MS&IE)

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This IGERT program in Macromolecular Science and Infrastructure Engineering (MS&IE) focusses on polymeric adhesives and composites in civil structures, a national need identified by the National Research Council. The vision is to train scientists, engineers, and business leaders with an interdisciplinary perspective allowing them to bridge the gap between the materials and infrastructure community, structural and civil engineers, and the economic and business communities to create and maintain a durable, safe, and cost-effective U.S. civil infrastructure. Seven departments (Chemistry, Engineering Science and Mechanics, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Wood Science and Forest Products, Marketing and Accounting) from 4 colleges will collaborate. A University-based (not departmentally based) graduate degree program in Macromolecular Science and Engineering (MACR) will be launched concurrently with this cross-disciplinary IGERT program to afford sufficient coursework flexibility for gaining depth and breadth in infrastructure materials and design. Thus, the MS&IE IGERT students will comprise one part of a new graduate degree option (MACR). New courses to build depth in this field will be co-developed and co-taught via distance learning technologies with our partner institution, North Carolina State University. IGERT students will begin their research in cross-disciplinary teams with two required semesters of teamed research. Internship opportunities with national labs, key industrial groups, international infrastructure centers, and in congressional offices will enable students to gain experience in specialized topics, develop leadership skills, and obtain a global perspective on infrastructure methodologies and applications. A competitive summer undergraduate program, mentored by the MS&IE students, will facilitate leadership skills for the MS&IE students and recruiting into the program. NSF IGERT funds will support approximately 40 students at VT and NC State during their first year with the objective of at least 50% being either women or students from under-represented groups.IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to meet the challenges of educating Ph.D. scientists and engineers with the multidisciplinary backgrounds and the technical, professional, and personal skills needed for the career demands of the future. The program is intended to catalyze a cultural change in graduate education by establishing new, innovative models for graduate education and training in a fertile environment for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries. In the fourth year of the program, awards are being made to twenty-two institutions for programs that collectively span all areas of science and engineering supported by NSF. The intellectual foci of this specific award reside in the Directorates for Engineering; Mathematical and Physical Sciences; Biological Sciences; and Education and Human Resources.