PREM Quarterly
This work demonstrates how emerging non-van der Waals 2D materials like Bi₂O₂Se can bridge the gap between advanced nanoscience and real-world environmental monitoring—offering a low-cost, highly sensitive, and portable solution for detecting toxic metal ions crucial to human health and ecosystem stability. Illustration courtesy of Fei Yan.
New Water Sensor Detects Toxic Iron Pollution with Extreme Sensitivity
The device can detect trace iron levels in both electrochemical and fluorescent modes while ignoring other metals—a first for non-van der Waals 2D materials.
North Carolina A&T State University returning mentor Caasi Lampkin (second from left) instructs students on an optical measurement in the RIMSE teaching lab, during PREM PI Dhananjay Kumar’s (second from right) visit to UCSD. Image courtesy of Michael Sailor
Expanding Horizons: North Carolina A&T and UC San Diego Strengthen PREM Collaboration

A summer collaboration between North Carolina A&T and UC San Diego, supported by the NSF PREM program, brought 12 A&T students to UCSD for hands-on research in materials science. Through the UC system’s RIMSE initiative, students worked alongside UCSD faculty in areas like plasmonic and biomaterials, gaining graduate-level lab experience and mentorship.

Apart from learning about research carried out at the Universities of Central Florida and Washington, retreat attendees had opportunities to explore the Washington region. Image courtesy of Saiful Khondaker
From Posters to Partnerships: PREM and MRSEC Students Connect at Washington’s Pack Forest

This summer, UCF PREM faculty and students teamed up with the University of Washington’s MRSEC for their annual retreat at Pack Forest. Amid towering Douglas firs, nearly 85 materials scientists shared ideas, tackled research challenges, and built connections through student-led science sessions and poster presentations.

Northern Arizona University’s Department of Applied Physics and Materials Science takes a creative approach to science education through SparCQS—a collection of engaging games, demonstrations, and interactive exhibits that make quantum physics accessible to everyone. Traveling across the country, the team aims to ignite curiosity and inspire a passion for science in learners of all ages.

The FLAM Program, sponsored by the Materials Research Laboratory and the UCSB College of Engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara, offers science and engineering students from universities nationwide the opportunity to gain hands-on research experience across a range of dynamic and innovative fields.

The 2025 MRS Fall Meeting & Exhibit will be held from November 30 to December 5, 2025, in Boston, Massachusetts. This premier event brings together cutting-edge interdisciplinary research, breakthrough technologies, and opportunities for collaboration among leading scientists and engineers—driving new discoveries in fields from quantum materials to energy and sustainability.