MRI: Acquisition of Instrumentation for a Materials Research and Education Center at Western Washington University

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This award from the Major Research Instrumentation program will enable Western Washington University to purchase of a suite of instruments to support a varied program of research involving faculty and students in five different research groups at Western Washington University (WWU). The instrumentation will be housed in a new Materials Research and Education Center (MREC) and will be an integral part of a college-wide initiative promoting cross-disciplinary research in materials science. The instrumentation is necessary to support research in three departments (Chemistry, Physics and Engineering Technology), ranging from polymer science to magnetic materials. In addition, the requested instrumentation will affect about ten other research groups and be used in about ten undergraduate science and engineering courses. The intellectual merit of these activities is seen in the significant contributions each makes to the knowledge base in their respective disciplines, which is particularly noteworthy when one considers that the research will be conducted primarily by undergraduate students. This award will also have a broad impact in bridging the gap between classroom and research lab. A considerable component of the project is aimed at training students in the use of state-of-the-art instrumentation in laboratory coursework and involving undergraduates in meaningful, cutting-edge research.This award from the Major Research Instrumentation program will enable Western Washington University (WWW) to purchase of a suite of instruments to support a varied program of research involving faculty and students in five different research groups at WWU. The instrumentation will be housed in a new Materials Research and Education Center (MREC) and will be an integral part of a college-wide initiative promoting cross-disciplinary research in materials science. The instrumentation is necessary to support research in three departments (Chemistry, Physics and Engineering Technology), ranging from polymer science to magnetic thin films. In addition, the requested instrumentation will affect ten other research groups and be used in about ten undergraduate science and engineering courses.Specific research projects that will directly benefit from the requested instrumentation include: Structural studies of new catalytic, organic electronic, and magnetic thin film systems. Thermochemical characterization of polymers, nanoparticle-based biosensors, liquid crystal systems and hydrodesulfurization catalysts. Sample preparation for scanning electron microscopy imaging of nanomaterials, biological, and geological specimens. Preparation of organic and inorganic thin films and fabrication of micropatterned substrates for studies of organic electronics and sensor applications.The intellectual merit of these activities is seen in the significant contributions each makes to the knowledge base in their respective disciplines, which is particularly noteworthy when one considers that the research will be conducted primarily by undergraduate students. This grant will also have a broad impact in bridging the gap between classroom and research lab. A considerable component of the project is aimed at training students in the use of state-of-the-art instrumentation in laboratory coursework and involving undergraduates in meaningful, cutting-edge research.