IRES: US/UK Multidisciplinary Collaboration in Magnetics

Iowa State University, Ames IA

Investigators

Abstract

Technical abstract Cardiff University is one of the leading universities in the field of magnetics research in the UK and Europe. It is also home to several eminent faculty members in magnetics. Cardiff University and Iowa State Universities have had long-standing research collaborations and the PI and co-PI?s have all worked at Cardiff University and have good network connections with the current faculty and staff members. Cardiff University, and in particular the Wolfson Centre for Magnetics, offers resident expertise and access to advanced measurement facilities in magnetics. American students will gain good research experience from the work they will carry out at Cardiff University as well as the valuable broadening experience that comes from working in a foreign country. The following five research topics match expertise and interests at both Iowa State University and Cardiff University and should attract a large number of applicants to the program: Magnetocaloric Materials; Magnetostrictive Materials; Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE); Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS); Unified Theory of Hysteresis in Magnetic Systems. Five students, two graduates and three undergraduates from colleges and universities across Iowa and who are permanent residents of the United States will be chosen for international research experience under this grant. Special efforts will be made to recruit under-represented minority or female students in STEM subjects. The students will spend ten weeks each summer at Cardiff University and two weeks at Iowa State University. The graduate students will be allowed to choose the research topics which will be closely related to their thesis. The undergraduates will be selected from Electrical & Computer Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and/or Physics departments of Iowa State University and community colleges in Iowa. These undergraduate students will preferably participate in the summer months at the end of their junior year in order to enable them on their return to the United States, to take up senior design projects in similar areas if they wish. Non-technical abstract Iowa State University and Cardiff University in the United Kingdom will collaborate to offer 10 week research opportunities each summer for three years. The project will include 2 graduate students and 3 undergraduate students who will study at Cardiff University each year. The students, who will be permanent residents of the United States will be recruited from colleges and universities across Iowa. Special attention will be given to recruiting women and under-represented minority students in STEM subjects from colleges. The Wolfson Centre at Cardiff University is one of Europe?s leading research institutes in magnetics. The topics chosen for the research are areas of common interest between Iowa State University and Cardiff University. These include: magnetocaloric materials, magnetostrictive materials, non-destructive evaluation, transcranial magnetic stimulation and computer modeling of hysteresis in materials. This project will provide outstanding opportunities for students to gain research experience at a leading international research center in another country - the Wolfson Centre for Magnetics at Cardiff University, UK. These exciting, cutting edge projects will also motivate home grown undergraduate students to take up graduate studies, and graduate students to think about careers in research & academia. PIs will promote the program by making visits to high schools in Iowa to help inspire the students to consider STEM subjects at university by demonstrating the various career options and opportunities for international travel in connection with participating in ground breaking research.