HBCU-RISE: Enhancement of Research and Education Infrastructure in the Chemistry and Engineering of Multifunctional Materials

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). The Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Research Infrastructure for Science and Engineering (RISE) program supports the development of research capability at Historically Black Colleges and Universities that offer doctoral degrees in science and engineering disciplines.

This project from Florida A&M University (FAMU) aims to integrate research and education in the chemistry and engineering of multifunctional materials to educate the next generation of STEM scientists in multifunctional materials, and to prepare students for careers in this emerging field. The project will produce novel devices and structures for a number of industries and federal agencies and at the same time increase student engagement at both the undergraduate and graduate level.

The project is expected to play a key role in a new Materials Science and Engineering (MATSci) PhD program. The MATSci PhD program will bring together faculty from several departments to work collaboratively on materials-related issues. An institutional goal is to have Florida A&M University (FAMU) achieve Carnegie Research 1 status by 2030.

The project aims to synthesize novel materials, characterize them, develop design rules for processing, and assemble them into devices using additive manufacturing. The project leverages previous investments, as well as existing collaborations with Dow Chemical Company and Air Force Research Labs, to bring together scientists from multiple departments to enhance FAMU’s ability to perform world-class research while increasing minority participation in STEM.

In addition to the recruitment of students nationally, students will be recruited from Tallahassee and Hillsborough Community Colleges, providing a model for community college-university collaborations for the early engagement of community college students in cutting-edge research at universities and their successful and timely graduation. It is expected that the proposed work will increase research productivity of FAMU faculty, provide a more sustainable research infrastructure, and provide a model for student engagement, success, and graduation in STEM fields.

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.