National Science Foundation Awards YSU $445,000
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- The National Science Foundation has awarded a grant in the amount of $444,555 to Youngstown State University for the acquisition of a variable scanning electron microscope, U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Niles, announced Friday.
The equipment will be integrated into undergraduate and graduate programs and be used by hundreds of students at YSU and partner institutions, the congressman said, and be used to train students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) curricula.
“The NSF award for YSU will have an immediate, direct impact for hundreds of students in universities and community colleges in our area,” Ryan said in a prepared statement. “The positive impact of having this kind of advanced scientific equipment available will be multiplied when current students graduate and use the skills they’ve developed to implement science and engineering programs in our local school districts, or to expand the capabilities of our already thriving Tech Belt. Keeping this type of federal funding in place is critical to providing our students with the most cutting-edge equipment so they can be trained in, and therefore help us grow and attract, the jobs of the future. "
In announcing the grant, Ryan’s office included paragraphs of quoted material, citing the National Science Foundation. Here is that text:
“The integration of the instrument with the YSU CyberInstrumentation Consortium will ensure sophisticated access to the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and other lab instruments for a large number of external users, most of whom are at community colleges (CC), or other primarily undergraduate institutions (PUI) -- an outreach activity for which YSU is well known. The SEM will provide training and education opportunities to K-12, undergraduate and graduate students, to high school science teachers, and to CC and PUI faculty through: (1) collaborative STEM projects between YSU, Westminster College, Eastern Gateway Community College, Poland Seminary High School and LaBrae High School, Trumbull Career & Technical Center, and Mahoning Valley Historical Society; (2) Summer Materials Camp for High School Science Teachers; and (3) YSU Engineering Explorers and related programs.
“Thanks to its relative ease of use and impressive imaging capabilities at nanoscale resolution, the SEM will be one of the core attractors in YSU's outreach programs for K-12 & community college students and teachers, especially those at minority serving institutions that often have the desire but lack opportunities to pursue STEM careers.
“The microscope will be used for multidisciplinary research from several science and engineering disciplines, including: Material Science, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Geology, and Forensic Sciences. The instrument will be used in more than 10 research projects involving over 30 graduate students and postdocs, and more than 300 undergraduate students per year will have access to it.
“Proposed interdisciplinary research projects include: mono-crystalline ferromagnetic shape memory alloy micro-particles for energy and micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) applications; synthesis and characterization of rear-earth oxide nanocatalysts; grain orientation and grain boundary microstructure in ceramic-metal composites; nanolayered ceramic precursors; nanofabrication and study of wide bandgap semiconductor devices; e-beam lithography of polymer microlenses and 2-D/3-D photonic crystals on multilayer polymeric systems; characterization of collagen deposition in scar tissue; design of commercially important rare earth materials; fuel cell electrolyte membranes; and, bio-chemical detection properties of carbon nanotubes.”
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.