CREST Center for Nanotechnology Research and Education at UDC

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The Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) program provides support to enhance the research capabilities of minority-serving institutions through the establishment of centers that effectively integrate education and research. With National Science Foundation support, the University of the District of Columbia will establish the Center for Nanotechnology Research and Education. The vision of this project is to convert the University of the District of Columbia into a nationally competitive research institution with a centrally managed laboratory that engages faculty and students in collaborative research with neighboring organizations such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Navy Research Laboratory.Center research goals are to (i) utilize molecular spintronics-based devices to solve critical computing and sensing challenges, (ii) engineer the surfaces of metal 3D-printed parts such that they can be reliably used in industrial applications, and (iii) solve complex thermal management issues using a multiscale, multi-physics model. The central theme of the Center's three research subprojects focuses on transport processes at nanoscale interfaces. Subproject 1 will study the device potential of magnetic molecular bridges by chemically stitching them between the two ferromagnetic electrodes of a tunnel junction. Subproject 2 will engineer surfaces of additively manufactured alloy and metal objects by (i) reducing the surface roughness, (ii) depositing coatings and (iii) fabricating advanced devices. Subproject 3 will probe multiphase and multiscale interfacial energy transport between solid surfaces and neighboring nanostructured fluids. Long-term Center research will generate knowledge in emerging nanotechnology areas of future computer technology, advanced manufacturing, and thermal energy transport.Center educational efforts will focus on student-active teaching and learning. The University will integrate nanotechnology research into the curriculum to attract and retain students. The Center will initiate a graduate level course in Advanced Nanofabrication and Nanoscale Characterization where students will fabricate and characterize nanoscale devices and sensors.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.