The Partnership for Research and Education in Materials (PREM) between New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU), Morehouse College (MC) and the Georgia Institute of Technology (GT) collaborates on the study and development of organic photonic materials. GT is a partner in the Science and Technology Center (STC) located at the University of Washington. The collaborators explore three areas of organic photonic materials: two-photon absorbing materials, applicable for biological imaging and photodynamic therapy; crystalline nonlinear-optical materials, aimed at designing materials for THz generation and electro optical applications; and the development of new organic polymer materials for solar cell applications. This PREM also focuses on attracting and increasing the number of students in the area of photonic materials.
High school science teachers and community college faculty participate in a 4-week summer workshop to experience bench-top research, design new lab experiments for their classes, and learn about the latest pedagogical tools. In New Mexico, high school students from Robertson and West Las Vegas High Schools are engaged in science education programs like the Dual Credit and GEAR UP programs. Undergraduates from NMHU, MC, and local community colleges perform hands-on research projects in NMHU PREM labs as well as participate in the STC?s well-known Hooked-on-Photonics NSF REU Program. This PREM also provides a summer research experience for 4 NMHU and MC undergraduates at either Los Alamos or Sandia National Laboratory. A major goal of the PREM team is the creation of a critical mass of high school, community college, national laboratory, PREM, and STC faculty partnership-wide mentoring program for undergraduate and high school students.
