AMSEC recieves $1.2M in state funding

May 20, 2007

The Advanced Materials Science and Engineering Center (AMSEC) was established in 2007 by the Govenor and Washington State Legislature with $1.2 million in continuing state funding. Its mission is to educate students through a new minor degree program, promote academic research in materials science and engineering, and help regional companies innovate and compete through collaborative R&D with Western faculty, scientific advising, and access to technical resources.

The AMSEC program has funding for four faculty positions, administrative and technical staff, as well as library, operating, seminar, and equipment budgets. With over 15 faculty members in three different departments, AMSEC is one of the largest and best supported interdisciplinary materials programs among predominately undergraduate universities in the country.

According to AMSEC’s Director, Dr. David Patrick, “Once the center is fully up and running, sometime later this year, it will begin serving as a resource to more companies in our area. AMSEC will be able to work with companies in different ways depending on their needs, which may range from access to specialized equipment, to assistance with materials selection, design or analysis challenges, to the creation of strategic R&D partnerships.”

The new minor degree program, which will enroll its first group of students next year, will prepare professionals ready for graduate study or high demand positions in industries such as aerospace, microelectronics, alternative energy, and biotechnology.  A hallmark of the program will be in providing undergraduate students with a rigorous, hands-on research or industrial internship experience.

The center and degree program are a joint effort between the chemistry, physics, engineering technology, and geology departments.