This award establishes a long-term Partnership for International Research and Education for Electron Chemistry and Catalysis at Interfaces (PIRE-ECCI) between the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) and the Dalian Institute for Chemical Physics (DICP) in Dalian, China. The focus area for research is modern heterogeneous catalysis with a multidisciplinary approach that seeks to increase contacts between the fields of surface science, catalysis and chemical dynamics at interfaces, thus striving for a "first principles understanding" of technologically important catalytic systems. Members of the team represent diverse scientific viewpoints, from surface chemical dynamics, to theoretical simulations of surface chemistry, to engineering applications of catalysis.
A major part of the research and education plan involves support for graduate students and postdocs at UCSB and DICP to pursue collaborative research in chemistry. Extended research visits will include Chinese language and cultural sensitivity training for UCSB participants, with similar reciprocal support given to the Chinese participants coming to UCSB. Two summer schools on catalysis will be held at UCSB and a biannual scientific workshop will be held in Dalian. Special educational opportunities concerning the issues of technology transfer in international high-tech business will be organized and provided by the UCSB Technology Management Program.
The Partnerships for International Research and Education Program seeks to create new international collaborations through long-term, large-scale projects that contribute to the development of a diverse, globally-educated U.S. science and engineering workforce. The program is a major initiative in the NSF Office of International Science and Engineering.
