Wisconsin MRSEC earns award for partnership in Puerto Rico

The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Division of Materials Research selected the partnership between the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez (UPRM) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) for funding through the Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials Research (PREM) program.

Through PREM, NSF supports connections between minority-serving institutions and major-research centers, helping to broaden access to materials science-focused research opportunities. Eleven institutions received PREM awards in this competition. The Wisconsin MRSEC was selected for its collaboration with the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez (UPRM) to further pursue research in nano and soft materials. 

Over the next six years, the partnership will receive $4.2 million to steward this partnership. Research topics include developing new catalysts for the creation of green energy, understanding the physics and materials science of novel superconductors, and devising ways to stabilize new drug formulations. Beyond the research opportunities, Assistant Director of Education and Outreach for MRSEC, Shelly Grandell sees it as so much more. 

“The main goal of this partnership is to increase involvement in STEM fields and inspire the next generation of question askers and problem solvers who want to pursue research and degrees in these fields,” she says.

With support from MRSEC, UPRM’s PREM program (the Center for Advancing Research and Training for STEM Success) is training teachers to educate, engage and inspire Hispanic, K-12 students, undergraduates and graduate students about the possibilities STEM careers can provide. The center is particularly focused on empowering Hispanic women in materials science and related graduate programs. According to Grandell these priorities provide possibility, empowering students to embrace materials science. 

“Representation matters so much,” Grandell says. “Students can see themselves reflected in these research spaces, seeing Latinx researchers and female researchers in their communities, fostering an inclusive environment and sense of belonging.”

This partnership has been cultivated for over 20 years. MRSEC Director, Professor Paul Voyles, says the relationship predates his time with UW-Madison. 

Many students from UPRM have come to Wisconsin to conduct research with the Department of Materials Science and Engineering over the summer. Two of those students, Yomaira Pagan-Torres and Claribel Acevedo-Vélez, later returned to UW-Madison for their PhDs, and then became faculty members at UPRM. Today, they serve as the Director and Education Director for the Center for Advancing Research and Training for STEM Success, embodying the Wisconsin Idea by improving lives beyond our borders. 

The PREM will allow this invaluable collaboration to continue, which could not have come at a better time. Engineers are in high demand, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Across the nation, the engineering profession must grow by 15% to meet society’s needs. 

“We’re at an all-hands-on deck moment for training people in science and engineering to meet the future needs of the country,” Voyles says. “The UPR-UW PREM is one of the ways UW is seeking to meet that need.”

Paul Voyles is the Harvey D. Spangler Professor in materials science and engineering.

Read more about the PREM.