Innovative Technique for Micro and Nano Materials Testing and International Collaboration

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The objective of this proposal is to develop collaborative research in the testing of MEMSmaterials with the colleagues in South Africa at University of Witwatersrand (Wits) andUniversity of Cape Town. The focus of this research is on working jointly in the design andmanufacture of a testing jig which features the integration of a load cell, high resolutiondisplacement device, mounting and loading of test specimen, and data acquisition with analysis.The completion of the proposed collaborative research will result in the design and fabrication ofthe jig for conducting collaborative research at both the US and South Africa.The potential technical application of this project is the jig for material testing for MEMSmaterials. In broader impact, the teaching and research collaboration with the colleagues inSouth Africa will enable us to work together and to utilize expertise and resources on both sidesto use this jig setup as the basis for further research expansion in MEMS material testing. Thecolleagues in South Africa can also use this testing jig to investigate the fracture properties ofMEMS test specimen (their expertise). Such research collaboration will benefit us, and also willbenefit research program of our colleagues in South Africa. More importantly, this will lead tothe introduction of MEMS technology to the universities and industries in South Africa. Theexpected outcomes of the research and teaching collaboration also include the development ofMEMS courses and curriculum in South Africa which will be the first of its kind at theuniversities in South Africa.