OARS funding Materials Science

The Division of Materials Research (DMR) seeks to significantly accelerate advances in materials research and engineering through the rapid discovery of new materials and phenomena by developing a new midscale user facility program - Materials Innovation Platforms (MIP) program. MIPs embrace the paradigm set forth by the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI) which strives to "discover, manufacture, and deploy advanced materials in half the time and at a fraction of the cost." Platforms respond to the increasing complexity of conducting materials research that requires the close collaboration of multidisciplinary teams who have access to cutting edge tools. To accelerate research outcomes, Platforms conduct research through iterative "closed-loop" efforts among the areas of materials synthesis, characterization, theory, and the application of theory through modeling and/or simulation. The in-house research conducted by a MIP is transformational and focuses on a targeted materials grand challenge and/or a technological outcome (e.g., understanding complexity, discovery of new phenomena and materials, etc.) that addresses a national priority.

The Mechanics of Materials and Structures program supports fundamental research in mechanics as related to the behavior of deformable solid materials and respective structures under internal and external actions. A diverse and interdisciplinary spectrum of research is supported with emphasis on research that leads to advances in i) theory, experimental, and/or computational methods in mechanics, and/or ii) uses contemporary mechanics methods to address modern challenges in materials and structures. Proposed research can focus on existing or emerging materials and structural systems, across time and length scales. Proposals related to material response are welcome, and would propose, but not limited to, advances in fundamental understanding of deformation, fracture, fatigue, as well as on contact and friction through constitutive modeling, multi-scale (spatial or temporal) and multi-physics analysis, computational methods, or experimental techniques. Proposals that relate to structural response are welcome and would propose, but not limited to, advances in the understanding of nonlinear deformation, instability and collapse in the context of large deformation, wave propagation, multi-scale (spatial or temporal) and multi-physics analysis, computational methods, or experimental techniques. Proposals at the intersection or considerate of the integration of material and structure (such as, but not limited to, metamaterials, hierarchical, microarchitectured and low-dimensional materials) are especially welcome. Of particular interest are research questions that address the integration and combination of geometry, topology of material distributions, lengthscales and deformation/failure mechanics. Within this context, the challenge of the notion of what constitutes a ??material?? or a ??structure?? is expected to lead to unique opportunities in terms of analysis and experimentation of novel response characteristics. While the research results should contribute to ultimatel

The Department of Defense (DoD) announces the Fiscal Year 2015 Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP), a part of the University Research Initiative (URI). DURIP is designed to improve the capabilities of U.S. institutions of higher education to conduct research and to educate scientists and engineers in areas important to national defense, by providing funds for the acquisition of research equipment.

The objective of this program is to conduct research and advance the current state-of-the-art in photonic materials technologies, interactions, and applications using unique and innovative solutions for improved hardened materials and increased survivability of sensors, structures, systems, and aircrew members. Separate Task Orders will contain specific requirements relative to a particular program's technical objectives. Some of the key technical areas of interest include Optical Materials and Processing, Hardening Materials and Processing, Electro-Optic/Infrared (EO/IR) Sensor Protection, Warfighter Protection, Structural Protection, Optical Technology, Computational and Theoretical Studies on Functional Materials, Proactive Threat Defeat, and High Energy Laser Source Materials. The following initial Task Orders are anticipated:

The Metals and Metallic Nanostructures (MMN) Program supports fundamental research and education on the relationships between processing, structure and properties of metals and their alloys. The program focuses on experimental research while strongly encouraging the synergistic use of theory and computational materials science. Structure spanning atomic, nanometer, micrometer and larger length scales controls properties and connects these with processing. The program emphasizes the role of structure across all these length scales, including structural imperfections such as vacancies, solutes, dislocations, boundaries and interfaces. 

This program supports fundamental scientific research in ceramics (e.g., oxides, carbides, nitrides and borides), glass-ceramics, inorganic glasses, ceramic-based composites and inorganic carbon-based materials. Projects should be centered on experiments; inclusion of computational and theory components are encouraged. The objective of the program is to increase fundamental understanding and to develop predictive capabilities for relating synthesis, processing, and microstructure of these materials to their properties and ultimate performance in various environments and applications.

NIST is soliciting applications from eligible colleges and universities in the U.S. and its territories, nominating undergraduate students to participate in the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program. The SURF Program will provide research opportunities for undergraduate students to work with NIST scientists and engineers, to expose them to cutting-edge research and promote the pursuit of graduate degrees in science and engineering.

This is a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) describing the research areas of interest for the Advanced Processing of Electronic Components for Space (APECS) program. The objectives of APECS is to conduct research and development (R&D) activities to explore the implementation of new monolithic devices to coalesce functionalities into a single chip or to enable to circuits and optoelectronic devices and interconnects based on the antimonides based material systems.

This program supports theoretical and computational materials research and education in the topical areas represented in DMR programs, including condensed matter physics, polymers, solid-state and materials chemistry, metals and nanostructures, electronic and photonicmaterials, ceramics, and biomaterials. The program supports fundamental research that advances conceptual, analytical, and computational techniques for materials research.

The Materials Engineering and Processing (MEP) program supports fundamental research addressing the processing and mechanical performance of engineering materials by investigating the interrelationship of materials processing, structure, properties and/or life-cycle performance for targeted applications. Materials processing proposals should focus on manufacturing processes that convert material into useful form as either intermediate or final composition. These include processes such as extrusion, molding, casting, deposition, sintering and printing.

The technical objectives of this BAA are to research innovative, disruptive technologies and methods in Measurement and Signatures Intelligence Exploitation (MASINT-X). The MASINT-X BAA seeks significant advances in the exploitation and reporting of five MASINT sub-disciplines.

This National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Research Announcement (NRA) solicits materials science research to be conducted aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The research will be conducted as part of the NASA Physical Sciences MaterialsLab Open Science Campaign.

The Electronic and Photonic Materials (EPM) program seeks to advance the field of electronics and photonics through basic, potentially transformative materials science research. The scope of the program encompasses the discovery and understanding of materials and material integration with potential for major technological innovations. 

The Biomaterials program supports fundamental materials research related to biological materials, biomimetic, bioinspired, and bio-enabled materials, synthetic materials intended for applications in contact with biological systems, and the processes through which nature produces biological materials

 The methods proposed for validation must be used to identify and quantify chemical constituents (active or marker chemical compounds, adulterants, contaminants, or metabolites thereof) in experimental reagents, raw materials, and/or clinical specimens (for example urine or plasma samples). Methods must have been developed or utilized in fulfillment of the active parent grants specific aims. Candidate constituents for quantitative method validation studies may include (but are not limited to):phytochemicals; nutrients; and potentially deleterious substances such as pesticides and mycotoxins.

We are currently accepting abstract submissions for the 2015 Annual Meeting. All abstracts or research-in-progress submissions will be peer-reviewed, and those that are accepted will be published in The Ohio Journal of Science.

The Science and Technology Centers (STC): Integrative Partnerships program supports innovative, potentially transformative, complex research and education projects that require large-scale, long-term awards. STCs conduct world-class research through partnerships among academic institutions, national laboratories, industrial organizations, and/or other public/private entities, and via international collaborations, as appropriate. They provide a means to undertake significant investigations at the interfaces of disciplines and/or fresh approaches within disciplines. STCs may involve any area of science and engineering that NSF supports

The goal of the Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) program is to prepare graduate students for science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) careers critically important to the DOE Office of Science mission, by providing graduate thesis research opportunities at DOE laboratories.  The SCGSR program provides supplemental awards to outstanding U.S. graduate students to pursue part of their graduate thesis research at a DOE laboratory in areas that address scientific challenges central to the Office of Science mission. The research opportunity is expected to advance the graduate students' overall doctoral thesis while providing access to the expertise, resources, and capabilities available at the DOE laboratories.

Examples of fundamental research topics of interest in SusChEM include the replacement of rare, expensive, and/or toxic chemicals/materials with earth-abundant, inexpensive, and benign chemicals/materials; recycling of chemicals/materials that cannot be replaced; development of non-petroleum based sources of important raw materials; chemicals/materials for food and/or water sustainability; the elimination of waste products and enhancement in efficiencies of chemical reactions and processes; discovery of new separation science that will facilitate recycling and production of valuable chemicals/materials; and development and characterization of low cost, sustainable and scalable-manufactured materials with improved properties.

The AAAS Early Career Award for Public Engagement with Science, established in 2010, recognizes early-career scientists and engineers who demonstrate excellence in their contribution to public engagement with science activities. A monetary prize of $5,000, a commemorative plaque, complimentary registration to the AAAS Annual Meeting, and reimbursement for reasonable hotel and travel expenses to attend the AAAS Annual Meeting to receive the prize are given to the recipient.