http://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2017/04/15/fsu-institute-play-major-role-deep-space-exploration/100466828/
The work is part of an overall initiative from NASA to create the first-ever Space Technology Research Institutes (STRI), one on biological engineering in space and one on next-generational materials. Each institute will receive $15 million over a five-year period that will be distributed among the partner universities.
HPMI is a multidisciplinary research institute at Florida State University largely staffed by faculty from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. Because of HPMI’s leadership, both FSU and FAMU will receive funding from the STRI focusing on next-generation materials and manufacturing. The money will help fund multiple graduate students at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and one postdoctoral researcher.
“The High-Performance Materials Institute is a leader in developing advanced nanocomposites and additive manufacturing that will be critical for man’s extended presence in deep space,” FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Dean J. Murray Gibson said. “Because of this grant, our students will have unique opportunities to participate in an exciting future major space program.”
Liang, who is also a professor at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, will serve as principal investigator at the college and an area leader for the STRI. Six faculty from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering will participate in the project. The STRI will be led by Professor Gregory Odegard at Michigan Technological University.
At HPMI and the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, scientists will specifically work on the development of carbon nanotube-based structural materials that can help create next-generation space vehicles, power systems and potentially even habitats.
“It’s exciting to know that I could have a student who could get experience here on this project and then potentially work on the mission to Mars in the future,” said Tarik Dickens, an assistant professor at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering who is also working on the project.
HPMI’s mission is to develop next-generation materials that can be used in a variety of technologies and industries. It’s been designated as an Industry/University Cooperative Research Center by the National Science Foundation and as a Center of Excellence by Florida’s public university governing body, the Florida Board of Governors.
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