Putting sciences and engineering fields under one roof, the new Institute for Advanced Materials was conditionally approved by the Board of Supervisors Oct. 25 for one year.
The IAM’s focus is to gather interdisciplinary science and engineering faculty and research to consolidate instrumentation for research and develop proposals for the center.
The center will be subject to approval by the Louisiana Board of Regents on Dec. 5.
The IAM will be on the first floor of the Chemistry and Materials Building, where the science equipment and instruments will be available to students.
There are currently 92 faculty members from 13 different departments that will work in the center.
The approval allows the institute to prepare its long-term proposal, which will be reviewed to approve the center for five years, said Kalliat Valsaraj, vice chancellor for research and economic development.
This year will give the center time to develop a specific sustainability plan, Valsaraj said.
“This is the natural way of establishing a center at LSU,” Valsaraj said.
Additionally, the IAM will oversee the new graduate certificate in materials science and engineering. In half the times it takes to receive a master’s degree, students will be able to obtain a certificate in material sciences through the center.
Similar programs have been established at Ivy League schools like Harvard University and Princeton University, said physics professor Ward Plummer.
“I hope that in the future we can use this certification as a recruiting tool for incoming students,” Plummer said.
He said the idea for the center has been tossed around for about a decade, and now there is support from the Office of Research and Economic Development.
Scientific instruments and lab equipment in the center can be costly and instead of charging an all-encompassing cost for everyone who uses the center and leaving faculty who can’t afford the cost behind, the University is subsidizing the price of the center, Plummer said.
The new center will be funded by the University, but will not request additional funding other than the University budget provided.
With the addition of the center, Plummer said faculty and students can take the next steps toward receiving more center and national grants.
The center will be a unique resource for students and faculty alike, Valsaraj said.
He said this center will also help the University maintain a connection to the materials industry in the area. For example, research found in the center can potentially be used by companies working in chemistry and applied physics.
“It is unique in the sense that there are so many applications to materials,” Valsaraj said. “There is no real one department that you can call a home for this.”