Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers

1. Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers NSF Division of Materials Research MRSEC Site Visit Rama Bansil, William Brittain, Sean Jones, Thomas Rieker, and Charles Ying MRSEC Program Directors

2. Housekeeping • Conflict of Interest Form • Sign-in sheet • Travel form • Copy of Viewgraphs • Site Visit Report Template • We will collect money for meals provided • Dinner usually handled individually • Host will help organize transportation to the airport • Site Visit Report finished on-site, then circulated for final edits • MRSEC will prepare a written response to NSF

3. Charge to the Panel • The purpose of this review is to provide NSF and the MRSEC an independent assessment of the MRSEC’s progress and direction since the award was made in 2005. • Panels can recommend changes to this award. • Maximum NSF award is for 5 years – Panel Recommendation for continued support for the 6th year of the award.

4. Site Visit Panel Workflow Day 1 • MRSEC presentations to the panel along with Q&A • Lunch with Students and Post-docs • Panel discussion – generate questions for the MRSEC Director and Executive Committee • Posters • Dinner w/ faculty (opt.) Day 2 • MRSEC Director reports back to the panel • Panel discussion to build consensus on the report • Work through the site visit report as a team • Out-brief with MRSEC Director and Executive Committee

5. Science Output • 224 Ph.D.s awarded • 145 Post-docs completed • 1620 publications • 57 patents issued • ‘07-’08 data MRSEC:High Impact - High Visibility

6. Annual Education Investment • 921 Graduate Students • 265 Post-docs • 597 REU students • 79 UG year ‘round • 117 RET • 83 undergrad faculty • 10 PREM partnerships • ‘07-’08 data Education Outreach,Developing a Diverse Workforce

7. Collaborations • 800 Academic • 277 Industry • 165 National Labs • 166 International w/ 32 countries • Numerous Start-ups • ’07-08 data Industry, National Labs, International

8. Users of MRSEC Facilities • 657 Academic • 351 Industry • 71 National Labs • Resulting in 512 Publications • 108 Technicians • 93 Administrative staff • ’07–’08 data Infrastructure

9. MRSECs Support multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary materials research and education of the highest quality while addressing fundamental problems in science and engineering that are intellectually challenging and important to society.

10. MRSEC Program Goals • Stimulate and support outstanding interdisciplinary research and education in materials • Address fundamental, complex materials problems that are intellectually challenging and important to society • Foster partnerships between academia and industry as well as other sectors • Broaden participation of groups under-represented in the sciences

11. A Little History • Late 1950s National Materials Program • 1960-61 First IDLs (ARPA etc) • 1968 Mansfield Amendment • 1971 Proposal to transfer IDLs to NSF • 1972 NSF establishes DMR, MRL program • 1986 DMR establishes MRG program • 1994 DMR establishes MRSEC program • 2002 MRSECs changed to six year awards

12. Interdisciplinary Research Groups: Core unit • One or more IRG(s) in each MRSEC • Each IRG; • Addresses a major materials topic or area. • Involves several researchers with complementary backgrounds, skills, knowledge • Provides sustained support for interactive effort • Is more than a ‘collection of individual investigators’ • Interaction within IRGs is critical • Interaction between IRGs not required, but may strengthen the Center

13. Other Elements of a MRSEC • Flexibility to develop new areas, support for ‘Seeds’ • Potentially Transformative • Important to review mechanism and effectiveness of Seed Program • Education(precollege to postdoctoral) and development of human resources • REU only requirement • Other education outreach activities scale with the size of the MRSEC • Diversity Strategic Plan • Active collaboration with industry and other sectors. • Shared experimental facilities

14. MRSEC Awards • Six year awards • Semi-annual PI Meetings • Program Director Site Visit in year two • Site visit review with a panel during year four • Existing Centers compete with new proposals in open competition in the sixth year of the award • Continuum from small to large Centers • Current support ranges from ~ $1M-$3.6M • Non-research activities scale with the size of the Center

15. The MRSEC Program in 2009 • 27 Centers • ~$54M total this year • 13 MRSECs class of 2005 • 14 MRSECs class of 2008 • 5 new awards made in 2008 • 4 MRSECs phased out after 2008 competition

16. MRSEC Class of 2005

17. MRSEC Class of 2008

18. MRSEC Program Balance by DMR Programs* *Theory distributed among programs

19. MRSEC Expenditures 2007-2008* as % of Total Budget * Latest data

20. MRSEC Faculty by Departmental Affiliation Number of Faculty

21. MRSEC Participants FY2008Compared to 2006 National Stats* in Red *Extracted from NSF's Science and Engineering Indicators 2008

22. Diversity Strategic Plan for MRSECs • “MRSECs must seek to embrace the cultural, gender, racial, and ethnic diversity of the U.S. in the composition of their participants at all levels.” • Each MRSEC will prepare and execute a diversity strategic plan with goals and intended actions to increase the diversity of the center’s leadership, faculty, undergraduate, graduate students, and postdoctoral associates, and assure diversity in REU and RET programs. Part of the Cooperative Agreement for MRSECs starting in 2005. Part of MRSEC Annual Reports. Expect plans to be updated annually.

23. Diversity Trends in MRSEC

24. MRSEC Site Visit Report A. Recommendation for 5th and 6th year of funding B. Summary • Intellectual Merit • Broader Impacts • Impact of MRSEC Evaluation - strengths and weaknesses / panel voice C. Interdisciplinary Research Groups D. The Center as a Whole • Strategic Plan • Institutional Setting and Rationale for the Center • Seeds and Emerging Areas • Education and Human Resource Development • Diversity Strategic Plan • Collaboration with Industry, International, and other Sectors • Shared Experimental Facilities • Institutional Support, Management Plan, and Budget

25. A reminder that information exchanged at this meeting is confidential as are all NSF reviews.