University of Puerto Rico at Humacao - University of Pennsylvania MRSEC

Initiated more than a decade ago in a predecessor to the PREM program, this partnership has a renewed award. Already, the collaboration has involved more than 100 students in research with PREM faculty, and additional outreach aimed at K-16 has touched thousands. Of the 25 PREM students who graduated with undergraduate degrees between 2009 and 2014, 17 continued onto STEM-related graduate studies. High school students and undergraduates participate in multidisciplinary research that leads to publishable results. In fact, 55 percent of the publications from researchers associated with the program over that same time frame included these students as co-authors. This partnership's PREM research and education activities focus on nanofibers for nano-electronic devices and sensors, and with a special outreach focus on women in physics, partnering with the American Physical Society at times to enhance efforts.