Executive Summary Final - the Center for Nanoscale Science - an ...

Strategic Plan
strong matching commitment from Penn State allows the Center to support several seed projects
in each annual competition. Historically, the seed program has been an important engine of
innovation in the Center; for example, it led to the establishment of a new IRG (now IRG1) in
the latest renewal.
Metrics: The Center’s metrics for success include the number of collaborative publications,
particularly those in high-profile journals and with multi-point collaboration, the degrees,
training and outcomes of a diverse body of participants, numbers of patents, development of
industrial and international collaborations, industrial co-sponsorship of research, and transfer of
technology developed in the Center.
Educational and Diversity Goals: The Center will maximize its educational impact by coupling
the expertise and enthusiasm of all of its members with our partners' expertise in reaching large
audiences. The Science-U summer camps, now offered across grades 3–11, will continue to
develop new content on topics that resonate with the public (Mythbusters, Crime Scene
Investigators, Harry Potter, etc.). In partnership with The Franklin Institute (TFI), new museum
shows will be created for distribution to a national network of science museums, reaching an
audience of hundreds of thousands. The TFI connection has helped to establish ties with the
Science Leadership Academy, a new magnet school in Philadelphia; we will deepen these ties
through participation in a short course offered at the Franklin for SLA students. A broad range of
high schools and middle schools are being reached through teacher training workshops and
research experiences, and a diverse group of students are mentored in the REU program. All
major outreach programs will be regularly assessed for efficacy and impact. Center outreach
activities will continue to be integrated into the Center’s ongoing research activities through
outreach showcases embedded into the MRSEC seminar series, and the involvement of outreach
officers in regular IRG research meetings and activities.
The Center will recruit students and postdocs from under-represented groups through ongoing
collaborations with partner institutions in Puerto Rico and Texas, through the MRSEC facilities
network, and by cultivating faculty contacts with minority-serving institutions as possible seeds
of future PREM proposals. The goal here is to increase the representation of women and
minorities at all levels in the Center and substantially exceed the level of their representation at
Penn State as a whole. By coordinating with diversity-focused recruiting efforts across the
campus through our Diversity Committee, the Center will serve as a model and an agent for
positive change in developing a diverse, interdisciplinary scientific workforce.