The University of Maryland MRSEC grants ended in September 2013 after 17 years of successful operation. This site remains as a history of the center, but will not be actively maintained.

MRSEC Featured

MRSEC in the News: Partnership with Port Discovery Children's Museum
UMD-MRSEC's partnership with Port Discovery Children's Museum in Baltimore, MD is highlighted in the spring 2013 edition of "Hand to Hand," a quarterly publication by the Association of Children's Museums (ACM). View the excerpt (pdf) or find the entire publication on ACM's website.
More about MRSEC's NanoFabulous exhibit.
UMD-MRSEC "Highlights" Featured on National MRSEC.org Network Site

The University of Maryland's work on "NanoFabulous," a nano exhibit developed by the University of Maryland MRSEC, and on the electric potential metrology on the nanoscale were prominently featured highlights on the MRSEC.org homepage. MRSEC.org is the website for the national network of Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers, funded by the National Science Foundation.
MRSEC-developed Nano Exhibit Unveiled

"NanoFabulous," a nano exhibit developed by the University of Maryland MRSEC, was unveiled April 12, 2012 at Port Discovery Children's Museum in Baltimore, MD. Speakers included Port Discovery President and CEO Bryn Parchman, MRSEC Director Dr. Janice Reutt-Robey, MRSEC Associate Director and Director of Education Donna Hammer, and Maryland Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger. News coverage of the event was featured on WJZ, CBS Baltimore. See the press release, pictures of the exhibit online, or visit the exhibit at Port Discovery Children's Museum through October 2012.
Former MRSEC Director Ellen Williams' work at BP Highlighted

In a published interview with Dr. Ellen Williams, former UMD-MRSEC Director and current Chief Scientist for BP, Physics Today highlights Williams' efforts to bring new energy to BP. The full article is available from Physics Today.

Right: Dr. Ellen Williams, former MRSEC Director, with MRSEC Assoc. Dir. Donna Hammer & Program Manager Julie Callis at Williams' Farewell Tribute in 2009.
MRSEC Contributions to NOBCChE Highlighted

MRSEC contributions to the professional development of young scientists were highlighted in the first semi-annual newsletter by the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE). MRSEC provided support for students to attend the annual NOBCChE conference in Houston, Texas (see pages 1 & 3 of the newsletter). In addition, NOBCChE students participated in MRSEC NanoDays, performing tabletop nanoscience demonstrations to approximately 100 high school students (see page 5 of the newsletter).
University of Maryland MRSEC researchers first to have observed insulating state at surface of bismuth selenide

MRSEC research, published in NanoLetters ASAP in April, was also featured in the NanoTechWeb.org article, "Topological insulator becomes insulating at the surface." See the original paper in NanoLetters:
"S. Cho, N. P. Butch, J. Paglione and M. S. Fuhrer, "Insulating behavior in ultrathin bismuth selenide field effect transistors." Nano Letters (2011). doi: 10.1021/nl200017f
MRSEC at Smithsonian Spark!Lab for NanoDays

"A Year in D.C." featured MRSEC's participation in NanoDays at the Smithsonian Lemelson Center's Spark!Lab on April 2, 2011. MRSEC presented materials science and nanoscience demonstrations and hands-on activities to community visitors.

See the article for more pictures of the event, activity descriptions, and an audio recording of MRSEC graduate student Michelle Groce explaining the different bouncing performances of amorphous metal and crystalline meta (picture at left) and how MRSEC research is addressing future challenges.
Physics Today, October 2010
MRSEC researcher Sang-Wook Cheong, along with a colleague at Rutgers University, provided the image used in the October issue of Physics Today's "Back Scatter" feature.
Advanced Functional Materials, June 23, 2010
The cover of the June 23 issue of Advanced Functional Materials features the research of MRSEC faculty Ichiro Takeuchi and his colleagues. The journal includes their paper on Identification of Quaternary Shape Memory Alloys with Near-Zero Thermal Hysteresis and Unprecedented Functional Stability.
Physics Photon, September 2010
The September issue of the Physics Photon features the 2010 MRSEC Summer Camps (see page 4)!

Students participating in the 2010 MRSEC Summer Camps built circuits, visited SEFs, made gecko tape, ate liquid nitrogen ice cream, used infrared goggles, visited the International Spy Museum and much more! This year marked the ninth year of MRSEC summer camp programming that targets partner schools in an effort to provide students with effective STEM activities and experiences. The success of the camps is based on their excellence in integrating formal inquiry-based science learning into a high-interest camp.
Nanotechweb.org, May 14, 2010
A technology update on nanotechweb.org highlights a recent MRSEC publication in Science Magazine. The press report is entitled "'Pushy' electrons move atoms" and reports that "researchers in the US have gained important new insights into how electrons travel through nanoscale metal wires. They discovered that the force with which electrons push atoms around in these structures is much stronger than previously thought – which could help improve next-generation nanoelectronic components." The original article, "Visualizing the Electron Scattering Force in Nanostructures," by Chenggang Tao, William G. Cullen, and Ellen D. Williams was published May 7, 2010 in Science Magazine.
Research @ Maryland, September 2009
Two MRSEC faculty members, John Weeks and Michael Fuhrer, were highlighted in the September 2009 edition of Research @ Maryland. John Weeks, IRG 1, was elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Michael Fuhrer, IRG 1, is leading research on "tailoring the electronic properties of graphene at the nanoscale" through one of Maryland's four 2009 MURI grants. The full publication is available from the Research @ Maryland site.
AIP Matters, July 27, 2009
Julie Callis, Program Management Specialist, represented MRSEC at the 2009 SPS Summer Interns' Closing Presentations on July 17, 2009. This year's MRSEC-AIP SPS intern, Erica Watkins, worked with four of the seven MRSEC Summer Camps. The program, along with a photo of interns and their mentors, is highlighted in the AIP Matters newsletter.
MRS Bulletin, November 2008, Volume 33, No. 11
Alex Prasertchoung, Education Outreach Coordinator, and Donna Hammer, Associate Director & Director of Education Programs, presented "Mission Possible: University of Maryland MRSEC - International Spy Museum Partnership" at the 2008 Spring MRS Meeting in San Francisco. The presentation is highlighted in the MRS Bulletin article "Nanoscience and Engineering Incorporated into Education."
Physics Today, May 2008, Volume 61, Issue 5
The University of Maryland MRSEC's participation in the NISE Network's NanoDays initiative is highlighted in the Physics Today article "Nanoscience outreach rolls out nationwide."