Enhancement of Research and Infrastructure in Support of the New Ph.D. Program in Materials Science and Engineering at Norfolk State University

这项HBCU-RISE提案建立在2007年秋季材料科学与工程博士项目的基础上，该项目代表了诺福克州立大学（NSU）材料研究中心（CMR） 15年研究和教育努力的高潮。新项目为CMR开创了一个新时代，带来了更多的机会，其使命是在这个高度跨学科的领域显著提高少数民族学生的招聘、保留和最终学位。该项目的组成部分包括：(1)开发和增强用于生物医学应用的生物相容性稀土掺杂发光纳米荧光粉和磁性纳米颗粒的制造能力；(2)增强微电子和光电子的研究能力，包括声学和功能化生物传感器、光伏和磁存储设备。RISE项目将提供资源，通过扩大研究能力来发展中心的基础设施，增加生物材料和功能化传感器的设计和制备，并通过培训一批年轻研究人员成为独立研究人员来增加中心的人力资源能力。

This HBCU-RISE proposal builds upon the establishment of the Ph.D. program in Materials Science and Engineering in Fall 2007, which represents the culmination of fifteen years of research and education efforts by the Center for Materials Research (CMR) at Norfolk State University (NSU). The new program ushers in a new era for the CMR, bringing even greater opportunities, based on its mission of significantly increasing the recruiting, retention and terminal degree attainment of underrepresented minority students in this highly interdisciplinary area. Components of the project include: (1) development and enhancement of capability to fabricate biocompatible rare earth-doped luminescent nanophosphors and magnetic nanoparticles for biomedical applications, and (2) enhancement of research capability in micro- and opto-electronics that includes acoustic and functionalized-biosensors, photovoltaic and magnetic storage devices. The RISE project will provide the resources to develop the Center's infrastructure by broadening its research capabilities, with the addition of biomaterials and functionalized sensors design and preparation, and increase the Center's human resources capacity by the training of a cadre of young researchers to become independent investigators.