Soft Materials Research Center

位于博尔德的科罗拉多大学的材料研究科学与工程中心（MRSEC）支持液晶的创新研究和教育，从前沿的基础液晶和软材料科学到液晶的光子，化学和生物技术应用的增强能力的开发。一个由物理学家，化学家，生物化学家，分子生物学家，化学工程师和材料科学家组成的多学科团队在研究和教育项目上合作。该中心提供了一个广泛的活动计划，旨在教育和提高科学素养。其中包括本科生的暑期研究经验和教师的研究经验。它的K-12外展计划，材料科学从科罗拉多大学，使中心人员进入教室，并使用材料的理解，教物理科学的概念。对公众的外联活动包括液晶奇才家庭科学展。MRSEC将参加一个大学范围内的计划（红衫军计划），旨在提供大一前的预备STEM教学，沟通技能发展和集群住房，以帮助准备不足的高中学生成功作为科学和工程本科生。该中心与各种公司和国际合作者进行合作研究，并为外部用户提供卓越的实验和计算共享设施。在MRSEC的研究组织为一个单一的跨学科研究小组，液晶前沿，有三个研究重点。液晶宏/纳米/分子推力专注于散装和复合液晶系统的科学和技术，追求新材料的设计和合成，以及自组装和有序的新主题的发现和探索。主动液晶界面推力追求软界面结构的科学和应用，强调那些响应外部刺激，如光，场，或化学成分，并在这样做影响周围的散装介质。功能性液晶组装件推动了分层结构软凝聚相的科学和技术，强调纳米相分离是通往新型功能材料的一条道路。

The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at the University of Colorado at Boulder supports innovative research and education in liquid crystals, ranging from cutting-edge, basic liquid crystal and soft materials science to the development of enhanced capabilities for photonic, chemical, and biotech applications of liquid crystals. A multi-disciplinary team of physicists, chemists, biochemists, molecular biologists, chemical engineers and materials scientists work collaboratively on research and education projects. The Center offers a broad program of activities directed towards education and enhancement of science literacy. These include summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates and Research Experiences for Teachers. Its K-12 outreach program, Materials Science from Colorado University, brings Center personnel into classrooms and uses the understanding of materials to teach physical science concepts. Outreach activities to the public include the Liquid Crystal Wizards family science show. The MRSEC will participate in a University-wide program (Red Shirt Program) designed to offer a pre-freshman year of preparatory STEM instruction, communication skills development, and clustered housing to help prepare underserved high school students for success as science and engineering undergraduates. The Center pursues collaborative research with a variety of companies and international collaborators and offers its excellent experimental and computational shared facilities for outside users. Research at the MRSEC is organized as a single Interdisciplinary Research Group, Liquid Crystal Frontiers, with three research thrusts. The Liquid Crystal Macro/Nano/Molecular thrust focuses on the science and technology of bulk and composite liquid crystal systems, pursuing the design and synthesis of new materials, and the discovery and exploration of novel themes of self assembly and ordering. The Active Liquid Crystal Interfaces thrust pursues the science and applications of soft interface structures, emphasizing those that respond to external stimuli, such as light, fields, or chemical composition, and in doing so affect the surrounding bulk media. The Functional Liquid Crystal Assemblies thrust advances the science and technology of hierarchically-structured soft condensed phases, emphasizing nanophase segregation as a path to novel functional materials.