North Carolina Central University News September 14, 2015 NCCU News: NCCU and Penn State University $3.3 Million Grant The departments of Chemistry and Physics at North Carolina Central University (NCCU)<http://www.nccu.edu/> have received a five-year, $3.3 million grant beginning September 1, 2015, from the National Science Foundation for a Partnership for Research and Education in Materials (PREM) with Pennsylvania State University<http://www.psu.edu/>. The partnership will leverage the combined resources of NCCU and the Center for Nanoscale Science at Penn State to enable the development of a new generation of nanostructured materials for a variety of applications ranging from electronics to solar energy to sensors. It will also enable the creation of a sustainable materials science research program at NCCU. "The highlight of the partnership is an innovative peer mentoring 'Penn Pal' program, which will pair minority participants in the Penn State MRSEC program with NCCU student participants in PREM," said Dr. Branislav Vlahovic of NCCU, principal investigator for the project. "The program will provide NCCU students with the opportunity to participate in productive research experiences at the frontiers of material science closely mentored by both NCCU and Penn State faculty." Vlahovic is a professor in the Department of Physics and director of the CREST and NASA Research Centers at NCCU. Dr. Kizhanipuram Vinodgopal, chair for the Department of Chemistry, Dr. Fei Yan, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry, and Dr. Marvin Wu, associate professor in the Department of Physics, are co-principal investigators, along with Dr. Vincent Crespi, a distinguished professor in the departments of Physics, Materials Science and Engineering and Chemistry at Penn State. Crespi also serves as director of the Materials Research Centre/Centre for Nanoscale Science at the university in State College, Penn. "We look forward eagerly to the growth and development of this partnership, and scientific interchange with NCCU students, faculty and research staff," Crespi said. "The National Science Foundation's Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials program is highly competitive, so this award is a strong statement about the compelling nature and high promise of NCCU research and education in materials." The PREM awards aim to broaden participation and to enhance diversity in materials research and education by stimulating formal, long-term, multi-investigator, collaborative research and education partnerships. "The PREM program is first and foremost a competitive research award that also has elements of a mentoring venture, a capacity-building program and a fairly clever support network all wrapped up together," said Linda Sapochak, acting director for NSF's Division of Materials Research. "Since we started making these awards formally, in 2004, we've seen groups make important discoveries, apply for patents - even start up a company." More information about the National Science Foundation Partnership for Research and Education in Materials is online at http://prem-mrsec.org/. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-702-5854 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.