The third year of the MADE in SC project is about to be concluded and it is time to pause and reflect on the accomplishments of our faculty and students. The following are some of the team's accomplishments, in numbers:

• Faculty and students published 39 journal papers and gave 95 presentations (including many invited presentations)
• 12 Ph.D. and one M.S. MADE in SC students graduated during Year 3
• The faculty advised 72 graduate students and 77 undergraduate students; and mentored 17 postdocs on MADE in SC research
• 13 high school teachers whose reach will impact more than 1500 students mostly from under-represented minority and/or economically disadvantaged groups were trained at various institutions
• Faculty reported 9 patents (awarded and/or pending) and 1 license
• Faculty reported more than $11M in external funding in Year 3

And much more.

MADE in SC is an NSF EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement award that started with  the ten institutions shown on the adjacent map but provides opportunities to faculty from any South Carolina college or university to participate and become a part of the project. This can be easily done by collaborating with current MADE in SC faculty members and/or through the seed funding programs to conduct materials science research, to diversify the STEM student pipeline in the state, and/or to develop SBIR/STTR proposals; as well as by attending MADE in SC webinars and conferences. For more information on how to get involved, please contact the SC EPSCoR Program Director.

By the time the Materials Assembly and Design Excellence in South Carolina (MADE in SC) award was made by NSF in 2017, Winthrop University’s Department of Chemistry, Physics and Geology was well positioned to be a major player in the project. With faculty hires in solid state photochemistry (Cliff Harris, 2011), hydrothermal crystal growth (Maria Gelabert, 2012) and supercapacitors (Fatima Amir, 2014), the department was in a strong position to join 9 other SC institutions in the EPSCoR Track I award for Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII). Harris, Gelabert and Amir all contribute to the strategic goals of Thrust 1 - Optical, Electrochemical and Magnetic Materials.

In this article, we focus on three alumni of Winthrop who participated in materials research over the years as undergraduates and are currently completing a doctoral degree.

Tyra Douglas (2015) completed an ACS Chemistry degree with a Forensic Science concentration. Now at the University of Alabama, Tyra is completing her doctoral work in the solid state chemistry group of Jared Allred, whose broad focus is inorganic materials with functional properties. Tyra is especially interested in magnetic structure characterization and local structure identification using diffuse scattering, contributing to two recent papers on molybdenum-doped vanadium oxide, where crystals were synthesized by chemical vapor transport (CVT), then analyzed with total X-ray scattering and electrical resistivity measurements. Her Winthrop research experience in the Harris lab inspired interests in sustainable energy within efforts to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Read more about Tyra's research interests.

After completing her ACS Chemistry degree, Jessica Zinna (2016) is now in the laboratory of Mayra Lieberman at the University of Notre Dame. This group focuses on analytical and physical chemistry for developing products in low resource settings, and Jessica is working on Paper Analytical Devices (PADs) for her dissertation research. With the choice of graduate study, she is inspired by the opportunity to expand a field of knowledge. At Winthrop, Jessica conducted research in nanoparticle synthesis (in the Gelabert lab), as well as organic synthesis. With pharmaceutical aspirations, Jessica started her graduate program, contributing to two papers on CsPbBr₃ nanocrystals. Read more about Jessica's research interests.

Cale Gaster (2019) completed an ACS Chemistry degree, then joined the sustainable energy lab of Peter Burns at the University of Notre Dame, a fully equipped actinide lab regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This group focuses on synthesis and characterization of actinide compounds, and Cale is now immersed in crystal growth of uranyl peroxides from molten salt fluxes. His Winthrop experience in the Harris lab with nanoparticles has shaped his understanding of growth of micron-scale crystals for structural characterization. Read more about Cale's research interests.

All three Winthrop alumni cited small class sizes, low student/teacher ratios, and personal connections with faculty as a major factor in choosing Winthrop. With scholarships like the Eagle-STEM Scholars Program and the Winthrop McNair Scholars Program, science and math students have opportunities to engage and grow with a cohort of peers within an educational environment firmly anchored in the liberal arts.

The Department of Defense (DoD) announces the fiscal year 2020 Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR). Consistent with its long-term objectives of building research infrastructure, the DoD intends to competitively make, and fund multiyear awards for S&E research in areas relevant to the DoD’s mission and important to national security.

This funding opportunity aims to create basic research collaborations between a pair of researchers, namely 1) Applicant/Principal Investigator (PI), a full-time faculty member who has never served as a PI on a prior DoD funded award and 2) Collaborator/co-Principal Investigator (co-PI), an investigator who will provide mentorship to the PI and has served as a PI on a DoD-funded research award. This structure is aimed at introducing potential applicants to the DoD’s unique research challenges and its supportive research ecosystem. To view the Funding Opportunity Announcement with the latest updates, deadlines and related documents, click FY20 DEPSCoR FOA.