News

This month, the PREM CIMA community led two outreach events aimed at bringing STEM learning to children and families across San Marcos.

Students moved from room to room inside Gardiner Hall, stopping to test experiments, ask questions, and watch demonstrations during New Mexico State University’s Physics Fun Day. Held Friday, March 27, the event turned abstract concepts into something tangible.

On Friday, March 27, 24 PREM CIMA students proudly presented their innovative research at the 2026 TXST STEM Conference at Texas State University. The annual conference brings together students, researchers, educators, and industry leaders to highlight STEM discovery, collaboration, and innovation across Texas.

The recognition highlights the role of the NSF PREM CIMA, in supporting undergraduate research and helping strengthen the pipeline of students entering materials science and STEM careers.

Students from TxState-UT PREM Center for Intelligent Materials Assembly (CIMA) recently received honors for research excellence and poster presentations at regional and national meetings, highlighting innovation, mentorship, and collaboration.

Olivia Downey, a senior Chemistry major at Xavier University of Louisiana and a student researcher in the Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials (PREM) program, is making history as one of only six undergraduate students selected nationwide to speak at the ACS Presidential Symposium, “The Next 150 Years of Undergraduate Research,” during the Spring 2026 American Chemical Society meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.

With a new partner, IMOD, a major goal of the last year of the partnership with STROBE was to provide as many opportunities as possible to for students to meet with their new community and learn their science.

During the past year, PEAQS students at Fort Lewis College (FLC), Durango, CO have successfully fabricated functional Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (MOSFETs).  MOSFETs are key components in digital and analog circuits, with modern smartphone processors containing around 15 billion of them.

With a new partner, IMOD, PEAQS undergraduates find themselves with access to an even larger community of scientists with new technical and professional skills to learn. A major goal of this first year of the partnership was to give the students as many opportunities as possible to meet with this new community and learn their science and professional skills.

Modern spacecraft requires the ability to perform complex and precise operations such as formation flying and collision avoidance. Microthruster technology, a key development in propulsion for spacecraft, address these performance needs through enhanced maneuverability while maintaining a minimal footprint.