CREST Center for Advanced, Functional Materials: Phase II

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The Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology 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, California State University San Bernardino will build on the accomplishments with their Phase I Center by advancing knowledge in functional materials, while providing quality undergraduate research experiences for historically underrepresented students. The Phase II Center for Advanced Functional Materials will support the development of new materials and promote understanding of structure/function relationships in a range of functional materials. The Phase II Center will continue partnerships with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Materials Research Center, the University of Buffalo Department of Chemistry, and NASA Armstrong Research Center. New Phase II partners include California State University Santa Barbara, California State University, Pomona and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The U.S. Government's "Materials Genome Initiative" highlights the importance of functional materials development for building the technologies of the future. The Phase II Center exploits both the structure of the molecular components of the materials, as well as the formulation of single component and hybrid materials, to better understand the relationships between structure and function, working towards design of materials for practical applications. Interdisciplinary teams of researchers will push the boundaries on what is known about ferroelectric, piezoelectric, ferromagnetic and multiferroric materials. Based on systematic study of structure versus function in, for example, single crystal organic/organometallic crystalline materials, thin films of organic and inorganics, and bulk and thin film polymers; materials will be modified to enhance the desired function. Theoretical models will be used to explain observed phenomenon on a molecular level, and simulated structure design with database searching for known analogs will guide the selection of additional materials to prepare and evaluate.The Phase II Center project will contribute to the production of the next generation of STEM workforce including underrepresented students by: 1) strengthening proven pre-college and community college recruiting strategies; 2) retaining students through experienced mentoring, relevant research, and leveraging strong support programs; and 3) career success through early internship and research experiences leading to graduate admissions, advanced degrees and STEM professions. Project enhancements include implementation of a new Master's Program in Materials Science.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.