This Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) is a collaboration between Stanford University, the University of California at Davis and IBM Almaden Research Center. The MRSEC focuses on the interface science of polymeric and surface-active molecules that will enable advances in information technologies. The Center also provides seed funding for new opportunities in materials research. The Center supports regional, national and international outreach efforts that impact education at all levels, including summer research experiences for undergraduates, international exchanges of students and faculty, development of instructional materials for high school students and materials science education of the general public through a regional museum. The MRSEC also supports shared experimental facilities that are accessible to center participants and to outside users, and broad industrial outreach efforts.
Research in this Center, which has been named the Center on Polymer Interfaces and Macromolecular Assemblies, is organized into two interdisciplinary research groups. One group investigates the structure, dynamics and properties of polymers confined to surfaces and interfaces with the goal of understanding lubrication and adhesion processes at the molecular level. A second group emphasizes the development of thin film polymeric membranes as biomolecular materials for sensor and diagnostic applications. Participants in the Center currently include 17 senior investigators, 11 postdoctoral associates, 13 graduate students, 10 undergraduates, and 3 technicians and other support personnel. Professor Curtis W. Frank directs the MRSEC.
