IRG-3 at MRL examines in detail the unique opportunities afforded bulk materials through the addition of nanoparticles. We have shown that the increasing availability of organic and inorganic nanoparticles and structured colloids creates exciting opportunities for new soft cellular materials with unique property combinations at low cost. These include improved electrical or ionic conductivity and thermal/mechanical stability, exceptional barrier properties or chemical resistance, etc. Nanoparticles can be used to statically or dynamically stabilize the cellular fluid precursors and enhance or impart new properties to the material formulation. Development of these materials will require a fundamental, science-based understanding of strategies to control nanoparticle location, structure and dynamics.

The NSF MRSEC program is celebrating its 10th anniversary. A special function was organized at the Fall 2004 MRS Meeting the evening of Tuesday, November 30.

An Assessment of the Impact of the NSF's Materials Research Science & Engineering Centers Program was carried out by an independent NRC committee over a 2-year period. The purpose of this study was to:

A team of Penn State researchers has shown for the first time that the entire class of "non-magnetic" materials, such as those used in some computer components, could have considerably more uses than scientists had thought. The findings are important because they reveal previously unknown information about the structure of these materials, expanding the number of properties that they potentially could have. A material's properties, such as electrical conductivity and mechanical strength, are what determine its usefulness.

PROGRAM GUIDELINES Solicitation  10-568

MRSEC programs provide transformative opportunities for  students and faculty at minority-serving institutions to participate in leading-edge materials science and engineering  research. But in order to encourage more underrepresented  minority researchers to take advantage of these opportunities, we need to cultivate personal connections with those at

Princeton University professor F. Duncan Haldane has been awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics "for theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter." He shares the prize with David Thouless of the University of Washington and J. Michael Kosterlitz of Brown University. Haldane is the Eugene Higgins Professor of Physics and an IRG-1 senior investigator at the Princeton Center for Complex Materials.

REINVENTING PHOTOVOLTAICS

At the recent American Physics Society meeting, MRSEC center directors and other representatives discussed new and improved opportunities in the field. The March meeting, which was held in New Orleans, brought together thousands of experienced and aspiring scientists looking to learn about the latest scientific research from industry and universities. Meeting highlights included a plenary on science policy in the 21st century, discussions on polymer opportunities across NSF, and poster sessions highlighting ongoing research.

Some cotton candy machines can do more than simply satisfy a sweet tooth. Researchers at Harvard and Vanderbilt University have discovered a way for the machines to spin new fibers that could potentially contribute to life-saving technologies such as regrowing human tissue or inventing lighter bullet proof vests. Learn more about this revolutionary NSF-funded research.