9601860 Bobba Instrumentation for in-situ characterization of electrochemical and optical materials and for graduate education in materials science will be acquired by Southern University. This includes development of an ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscope, upgrade of a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, and acquisition of ultraviolet-visible-near infrared and fluorescence spectrometers. Activities that will be supported include research on electrocatalysts and electrolyte membranes for methanol fuel cells, solid electrolytes and intercalated cathode materials, and photonic materials including rare-earth-doped glasses and ferroelectric crystals. The instrumentation will also support instructional courses at the undergraduate level and in the newly created MastersO program in Physics. %%% The acquisition of the new instruments and implementation of the research will strengthen faculty instructional quality and provide a strong experimental research base in the Department of Physics. Over seventy minority undergraduate students, ten new graduate students in Physics, and the faculty in the College of Sciences and Engineering will benefit from use of the instrumentation. ***
