This action provides funds for Southern Methodist University to become a part of the multi-university Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Lasers and Plasmas for Advanced Manufacturing. The mission of the center is to develop a science, engineering , and technology base for laser and plasma processing of materials, devices and systems. The focus of the proposed center in the area of lasers and plasma processing will include: bulk processing, surface processing, coatings, surface etching and patterning. The planning grant will be utilized to finalize the internal and externals linkages in the Center structure and to develop a unified research agenda among the participating universities, which furthers the understanding of the lasers and plasmas science and technology.
