Adapted from story that originally appeared on Show Me Mizzou
Since opening in May of last year, the University of Missouri Materials Science and Engineering Institute (MUMSEI) has been committed to multidisciplinary research that works towards solving large-scale problems in our society.
MUMSEI – founded as a partnership between the College of Engineering and the College of Arts & Science – hosts faculty from 10 academic departments who are affiliated with research at the NextGen Precision Health Institute, MU Research Reactor, and other areas within the university.
In addition to their research, affiliated faculty have opportunities to develop new interdisciplinary academic programs in materials science and engineering to prepare students to work and conduct research in these areas.
In its first year, MUMSEI has provided the space and technology for new research teams to study semiconductor design, water purification, next-generation computing, and other topics that are critical for the advancement of society. Highly sophisticated in-situ transmission electron microscope tools have even been secured as part of a National Science Foundation MRI grant.
However, even as these tangible successes continue to mount, MUMSEI’s co-directors Matt Maschmann and Tommy Sewell believe that the institute’s greatest achievement is exemplifying Mizzou’s commitment to collaborative research. Sewell, a Curators’ Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, said “The institute is a hub, a central place where people can get a better feel for the breadth and scope of work going on and see how their expertise fits into that larger picture.”
