July 6, 2006 – The U. of Oregon has received a five-year, $3.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to fund graduate studies in materials sciences and nanoscience research.

The award builds on work being done at the school’s Materials Science Institute, and will be utilized to expand an internship program to more students, as well as widen support for various regional collegiate and industry partners, including: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI), the Engineering and Technology Industry Council (ETIC), Hewlett Packard Co., LSI Logic Corp., Intel Corp., Hynix Semiconductor America, Triquint Semiconductor, and FEI Co.

“Faculty are already collaborating across campuses to advance nano and microtechnology research,” stated John Carruthers, distinguished professor of physics at Portland State U. “The IGERT award enhances the education and training of participating graduate students by giving them with opportunities to work in faculty laboratories at any of our Oregon institutions.”

A major part of the program is student participation in six- to nine-month internships at Oregon-based technology firms. About two-dozen industrial partners in the state have committed their active support to the program with time, internship opportunities, and donations, resulting in over $1 million in additional direct support from ONAMI and ETIC.