The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at Harvard University supports a broad research program organized through three interdisciplinary research groups, as well as a wide range of educational activities, including project TEACH (The Educational Activities of Cambridge-Harvard) which aims to interest seventh grade students in preparing for college. The MRSEC is supporting the introduction of "peer instruction" in area public schools and supports a nationally advertised Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program. The Center supports well maintained shared experimental facilities which are accessible to outside users and also supports interactive efforts with industry and other sectors.

One of the three interdisciplinary research groups is investigating artificially structured materials and electronic microsystems. This group supports work on atomic surface transport, nanowires, soft lithography, and atom lithography. The goal of some of this work is the fabrication of small structures without the use of visible light projection and patterning. A second group is exploring the interfaces between synthetic and biological systems with opportunities in sensors, biocompatible devices, and tools for molecular and cell biology research. The third group investigates thermo-mechanical properties at small length scales of diverse systems such as carbon nanotubes, multi-layer metal-semiconductor assemblies, and novel microsystems made with soft lithography.

The Wisconsin MRSEC brings together teams of researchers - undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty - from diverse disciplinary backgrounds from across the University of Wisconsin-Madison and other key partner universities to understand at the level of atoms and molecules how to create new materials that will enable next-generation technologies. By addressing fundamental challenges related to a critical void in knowledge involving disorder in materials, and the emergence of order from disordered materials, new materials for telecommunications, clean energy, quantum information sciences and biotechnologies are being developed. The Center integrates the discovery and sharing of new knowledge with national leadership in development and dissemination of research-inspired educational materials for K-12 and the public, innovative projects that broaden participation of groups underrepresented in STEM fields, development of new characterization facilities that integrate data analysis and sharing, industry outreach to promote regional economic development, and professional development and international opportunities that train the next-generation US workforce.

The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at the University of Wisconsin addresses the science and engineering of nanostructured interfaces. The MRSEC plays a critical role in promoting collaboration between a wide variety of scientific and engineering disciplines at which the University of Wisconsin excels. It includes a leading-edge, world-renowned interdisciplinary education group. The Wisconsin MRSEC has the philosophy that Education and Human Resource Development requires the same level of innovation as research. This philosophy provides a wealth of opportunities to bring the excitement of cutting-edge MRSEC research to diverse audiences. The UW-Madison MRSEC's Interdisciplinary Education Group (IEG) is a national leader in producing new instructional aids illustrating nanoscale materials and phenomena in MRSEC-related topics, and in materials science and engineering more broadly. The MRSEC supported shared experimental facilities provides infrastructure to the broader materials science community on campus and regionally.

The University of Wisconsin's MRSEC is comprised of three Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs): IRG-1: Silicon Based Nanomembrane Materials will explore the science and technology of membranes so thin that the thinness determines the structure and topography, and creates unique electronic, mechanical, and defect properties. Ultra-thin silicon and strain engineering allow a vision of a new field of investigation - fundamental studies of extremely thin semiconductor membranes - with potentially significant technological outcomes. IRG-2: Functional Organic-Inorganic Electronic Interfaces will design, fabricate, and characterize interfaces between inorganic materials and organic molecular structures in order to achieve a high level of control over their structural and electronic properties, critical to a broad spectrum of applications from sensing to lighting. IRG-3: Nanostructured Interfaces to Biology will move its focus to the design of polymeric and liquid-crystalline materials that provide both spatial and temporal control over the chemical functionality and physical properties of interfaces of synthetic materials presented to biological systems, including proteins, viruses and human embryonic stem cells.

Participants in the Center currently include 39 senior investigators, 7 postdoctoral associates, and 17 graduate students from over 10 departments throughout campus. Professor Juan De Pablo directs the MRSEC.

The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at Penn State University supports an interdisciplinary research program on collective phenomena in porous hosts. The group research addresses the collective molecular, photonic and electronic effects that emerge in nanometer-scale porous systems of one-, two- and three-dimensional connectivity. Particular emphasis is placed on ordered structures with application to tunable photonic crystals, phase transitions in fluids, and electronic effects in one-dimensional wires and three-dimensional solid phase superlattices. The Center also provides seed support for emerging research opportunities.

The Center supports well maintained shared experimental and computational facilities and also supports interactive efforts with industry and other sectors. Comprehensive education activities range from K-12 to graduate education, with outreach to the public through ties to science museums.

The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at the University of Chicago supports a broad research program carried out in three interdisciplinary research groups and exploratory seed projects, as well as a wide range of educational activities, including the K-8 Partners in Science Program with outreach to Chicago area public schools. The Center is raising public awareness of materials science through a new partnership with Chicago's Museum of Science and Technology. The Center supports well maintained shared experimental facilities, which are accessible to outside users and also supports interactive efforts with industry and other sectors.

One of the three interdisciplinary research groups is exploring the self-assembly of ultra-small structures. The materials of interest include polymer films, colloids, and semiconductor nanocrystals. A second group is carrying out experimental and theoretical studies of certain physical properties of solids with broad implications for an improved understanding of the condensed state of matter. The properties include quantum phases, transitions, and fluctuations of complex systems. The materials of interest include disordered ferromagnets, organic conductors and conducting polymers. The third group studies macroscopic motion in granular materials and liquids. Potential applications of these problems can be found in the construction of highways and dams, movement of grain and coal, design of ink jet printers, turbulence, avalanches, and bubble formation. A seed initiative on molecular overlayers examines fundamental issues in the surface properties of molecular overlayers, including self-assembled monolayers. A second seed initiative on bio-interfacial science is concerned with understanding the properties of interfaces in biological environments. This knowledge is important for the design of implants, cell culture and preservation, and the construction of sensors that combine biological and engineered components.

The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at the University of Wisconsin supports an interdisciplinary research program on nanostructured materials and interfaces. The research is carried out in three interdisciplinary research groups, with appropriate seed projects. Within IRG 1 the Center focuses on the mechanisms associated with materials integration onto silicon. The ultimate aim is to create "smart" systems based on Si technology for electronic and optical applications. The Center's activities are aimed at understanding and managing heterointerfaces, understanding bonding between dissimilar materials, understanding the role of strain, and effectively utilizing self-organization growth techniques. All of the above are focused on the nanometer scale. Within IRG 2 the goal is to understand actual grain boundaries in high temperature superconductors, which requires an interdisciplinary approach to film growth, materials characterization and modeling. The potential impact is the increase of the maximum current densities that can be carried in such materials for advanced superconducting devices. The activities in IRG 3 are centered on understanding the role of nanostructured textured surfaces on the growth and behavior of biological systems (proteins, viruses, and cells) which have been deposited onto these substrates. A strong feature of the Center's strong educational outreach is the development, testing, and dissemination of instructional materials which can be integrated into high school or college science courses. Of particular interest is the Development of Instructional Materials Program (DIMP) that enables MRSEC graduate students to develop new instructional materials based on their research. The Center carries out an aggressive program to increase the participation of underrepresented groups through enhanced contacts with minority serving institutions. The Center supports well maintained shared experimental facilities, which are accessible to outside users and has a very extensive program of collaborations with industry.

Participants in the Center include 29 senior investigators, 9 postdoctoral associates, 20 graduate students, 15 undergraduates, and 4 technicians and other support personnel. Professor Thomas F. Kuech directs the MRSEC.

The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at Harvard University supports an interdisciplinary research program that includes faculty participants from the Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Physics, Earth and Planetary Sciences, and the Medical School. The MRSEC research is organized into four interdisciplinary research groups (IRGs). IRG1, Multiscale Mechanics of Films and Interfaces, investigates the mechanical properties of thin films at scales intermediate between atomistic and continuum. IRG2, Engineering Materials and Techniques for Biological Studies at Cellular Scales, focuses on understanding the mechanical properties of the cell and its structural components. IRG3, Interface-Mediated Assembly of Soft Materials, explores innovative ways to make self-assembly of soft materials by using interfaces as template for growth. The Center also supports seed research projects in potentially high-risk areas.

The Center's research benefits from extensive shared experimental facilities that provide research support and training of students. The MRSEC operates a broad education and outreach research program that includes summer research experiences for undergraduates and teachers, activities for K-12 students, and a new program to enhance the participation of members of underrepresented groups in science and engineering at the graduate and postgraduate level. The Center also has research collaborations with industrial and national laboratories, and runs research workshops that include participants from industry and teaching colleges in the New England area.

This MRSEC at Pennsylvania State University is entitled "Center for Nanomolecular Structures" and supports three interdisciplinary research groups (IRGs). Molecular Nanofabrication (IRG 1) combines self-assembly to advance nanolithography along several areas of emphasis. The aim is to bridge the gap between the scale of single molecules and the much larger scale defined by conventional lithography.

Molecular Motors (IRG 2) has as its goal to advance the understanding of fundamental issues of molecular motion and to develop techniques to exploit such motors in nanoassembly and nanoscale motion. Both synthetic and hybrid biological motors are investigated. IRG 3 entitled Collective Phenomena in Restricted Geometries explores the collective molecular, photonic and electronic effects in systems with reduced dimensionalitiy. In addition to obtaining fundamental insights into the effects of reduced dimensionalities the work has potential applications for novel photonic and ferroelectric devices. The Center will partner with the Penn State node of the National Nanofabrication Users Network to create a national resource in the extension of nanolithography in the areas of chemical self-assembly.

The Center's has education activities ranging from the graduate to the undergraduate and to K-12 teachers and students. The Center will also acquaint the general public with the Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia and the Exploratorium in San Francisco. An interactive exhibit in the area of nanotechnology is planned with each museum.

The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at Harvard University is a highly multidisciplinary research Center with participants from seven different schools and departments. The Center has a broad range of research activities from soft materials to biological materials.

The research of the Harvard MRSEC is organized into three interdisciplinary research groups (IRGs):

• IRG 1: Micromechanics to explore the fascinating and technologically important mechanical behavior of systems where phenomena at very short length scales impact the materials properties and mechanics at macroscopic length scales.

• IRG 2: Droplet Templated Materials utilize microfluidic devices, or devices that control the flow of fluids at micron length scales, to produce new structures that are of use for delivery of drugs and other active ingredients that must be protected from their environment prior to delivery.

• IRG 3: Active Soft Materials addressing materials science required to create soft robotics, which are machines that can adapt to new geometries while still providing function.

The MRSEC supports a vigorous program to educate and inspire the public about materials science. The MRSEC offers novel programs for high school teachers and research opportunities for undergraduates from all over the US. A collaborative Partnerships in Research and Education in Materials program with University of New Mexico attracts underrepresented minority undergraduates to a Summer Program at Harvard. The rigorous scholarship emblematic of the Harvard MRSEC ensures that the excellent students and postdoctoral fellows in the Center will become leaders of the next generation of scientists and engineers.

The MRSEC has extensive collaboration with industry, both with large, established companies and with start-up firms that are inspired by the work of the Center. The MRSEC also collaborates with some equipment manufacturers to build an enhanced shared experimental facility for soft materials research.

The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at the University of Minnesota supports an interdisciplinary research program with over twenty faculty participants from the departments of chemical engineering and materials science, electrical and computer engineering, physics, and chemistry. TheCenter's research is organized into three interdisciplinary research groups (IRGs). IRG1, Microstructured Polymers, investigates the use of block copolymers to direct the structure and function of microstructured molecular materials. IRG 2, Crystalline Organic Semiconductors, is a new effort whose goals are to elucidate structure-property relationships and to apply that knowledge to the synthesis of new organic semiconductors with enhanced performance in field-effect transistors. IRG3, Magnetic Heterostructures, aims to understand interfacial spin transport, magnetization dynamics, and exchange coupling in magnetic heterostructures with well characterized interfaces.

The Center's research benefits from extensive materials synthesis and characterization facilities that include microscopy, X-ray scattering, polymer synthesis, rheology, molecular characterization and tissue mechanics. The MRSEC operates a broad education and outreach program that includes summer research fellowships for faculty-student teams from four-year colleges, fellowships for individual Native American students, research experiences for undergraduates and for teachers. The Center also has an extensive industrial partnership program by which member companies participate in collaborative research and education efforts with MRSEC faculty participants.