Monica Torres Chancellor of NMSU System Community Colleges | nmsu.edu
Monica Torres Chancellor of NMSU System Community Colleges | nmsu.edu
New Mexico State University (NMSU) and the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), have received a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The funding aims to broaden participation in materials research and encourage more students to pursue advanced degrees. This initiative is part of NSF's $50 million Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials (PREM) awards, which support 15 collaborative projects nationwide.
The project will fund three to four graduate students annually, covering their tuition and health insurance. "This project will support three to four graduate students each year during the academic year and the summer," stated Stefan Zollner, NMSU physics professor and principal investigator of the grant. Zollner expressed hope that 10 to 12 students would earn master's degrees over the grant's three-year span, potentially continuing into Ph.D. programs.
Additionally, undergraduate students will receive financial support through program funds. The first cohort of NMSU graduate students began their studies this fall under this program.
UCSB benefits from access to a diverse pool of graduate applicants through this partnership. Ania Bleszynski Jayich, co-principal investigator and UCSB director of the NSF Quantum Foundry, said, “We look forward to collaborating with our colleagues at New Mexico State University and hosting their students in our summer internship research program.”
The Partnership for Research and Education on Quantum Materials and Processes (PREQ) focuses on two interdisciplinary areas: superconductivity of ruthenates and their heterostructures, and infrared optical response of topological insulators and semimetals. Collaborative research between both institutions aims to advance knowledge in these fields.
Zollner is also working with Anne Hubbell from NMSU’s Honors College to attract master’s students through the Master’s Accelerated Program. Hubbell commented on the impact: “This program will change the lives of students who may not have otherwise considered pursuing an advanced degree.”
Graduates can explore various career paths including national laboratories like Los Alamos or Sandia, or companies such as Intel. Zollner mentioned that success in this initiative could lead to applying for a larger NSF grant in the future.
“I hope that this proposal will attract additional students in physics and materials engineering,” Zollner added.
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