National Science Foundation
Materials Research Support at NSF-Division of Materials Research

Thomas A. Weber, Division Director

This is the tenth in a series of user-friendly guides to National Science Foundation (NSF) support for materials research and education. Following an overview by Tom Weber, Director of the Division of Materials Research (DMR), there was a question-and-answer period about NSF programs, proposal submission, and the opportunity to discuss ideas informally. Current funding opportunities were also reviewed.

Department of Defense
Materials Research at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

Steven G. Wax, Deputy Director, Defense Sciences Office

DARPA is the Department of Defense's agency charged with high-risk, paradigm-shifting research and development. As part of that charge, DARPA invests over $200 million dollars per year in a wide range of materials R&D, including structural and functional materials. This presentation provided an overview of that research, as well as highlighted future opportunities. It also discussed the interdisciplinary nature of DARPA's program, which involves the biological sciences and mathematics, as well as material science.

Department of Energy

· R&D Opportunities through the DOE FreedomCAR and Hydrogen Fuel Initiatives
· Research Opportunities in Basic Energy Sciences

Dr. John J. Petrovic, Technology Development Manager, Hydrogen and Fuel Cells
(Laboratory Fellow at Los Alamos National Laboratory on detail at DOE)

The DOE Office of Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies (OHFCIT) funds activities on hydrogen production and infrastructure, proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells, and hydrogen storage for vehicular and stationary applications. The materials research opportunities associated with OHFCIT programs were described, particularly as related to the President's Hydrogen Fuel Initiative.

Jane G. Zhu, Program Manager, Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering

The Basic Energy Sciences (BES) program supports fundamental research in many areas of materials science in order to expand the scientific foundations for new and improved energy technologies and for understanding and mitigating the environmental impacts of energy use. The BES program plans, constructs, and operates major scientific user facilities, including electron beam microcharacterization, materials synthesis and processing, synchrotron X-radiation, and neutron scattering to serve researchers from universities, national laboratories, and industrial laboratories. Dr. Jane G. Zhu, program manager in BES, Office of Science at the Department of Energy, gave an overview of materials research opportunities in BES, including opportunities in the area of hydrogen science and technologies.

Air Force Office of Scientific Research
Research Opportunities in AFOSR

Lyle H. Schwartz, Director

This seminar presented the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), exploring current and future research interests, with particular emphasis on materials research. Dr. Lyle H. Schwartz, Director of AFOSR, discussed the role of AFOSR in sponsoring basic research within the Air Force Research Laboratory, at universities, and in industry. He described the process by which AFOSR identifies priorities and encourages transition of research results with ultimate benefit to the nation.