Fisk University News December 8, 2011 Fisk University Receives $435,000 National Science Foundation Grant Award for Graduate Research in Condensed Matter Science Fisk University announced today it received a $435,000 grant award from the from the Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Program (IGERT) Program of the National Science Foundation as part of a five-year, $3 million research initiative for a project entitled "Neutron Scattering for the Science and Engineering of the 21st Century." The project will focus on the study of condensed matter science, which covers interdisciplinary aspects of physics and biology, as well as chemical and mechanical engineering. "Condensed matter science involves the examination of liquids and solids,” said Fisk Professor of Physics and Vice Provost for Academic Initiatives Dr. Arnold Burger. “We are pleased that this research initiative will train our graduate students in the study of materials, their structure and behaviors when exposed to neutrons in a process called neutron scattering.” Since 2007, The U.S. Department of Energy has increased its research capabilities through a $2 billion investment at Oak Ridge National Laboratories to establish a world-class facility for neutron science Data obtained from neutron scattering will enable Fisk to develop an understanding that will lead to advancements in drug design, discovery of improved of high-strength metals and cements, deploy new materials in innovative electronic and magnetic devices and hydrogen storage materials. The most recent graduate-level research initiative, led by The University of Missouri-Columbia, allows for the collaborative research of students at Fisk, North Carolina State and Indiana Universities. Fisk’s graduate students will participate in on-campus research, as well as training internships Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the National Institute of Standards and Technology and at the collaborating institutions. Over the next five years, two graduate students from Fisk will receive each year full support, which includes tuition, fees and a monthly stipend, to participate in the research and training program. The team of graduate students from all four institutions will also collaborate with International teams at neutron scattering facilities. Fisk’s Dr. Burger will serve as one of the five directors of the graduate research initiative along with professors from the other three institutions. For more information, please contact Crystal Ghassemi, APR at 615-329-8767 (office) or 615-491-1062 (cell). SANDRA M. PHOENIX Program Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org www.hbculibraries.org 404.592.4820 Skype:sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org Honor the ancestors, honor the children.