Project Grant 2153316

This $600,000 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation Office of International Science and Engineering (NSF OISE) will support an international research experience program linking Michigan State University students with the IMDEA Materials Institute in Madrid, Spain. Over the three-year period from June 2022 to May 2025, the program will provide 19 MSU students the opportunity to engage in collaborative research on grain boundary formation and evolution in hexagonal and body centered cubic alloys. Each year, seven students will spend seven weeks at IMDEA performing experiments and computational modeling under the guidance of world-leading mentors in physical and mechanical metallurgy. Students will gain experience with advanced characterization and modeling techniques, present their research internationally, and publish results. The program aims to expose students to a different research culture while enhancing international and intercultural competencies at MSU. It supports the NSF OISE mission of strengthening U.S. leadership in global science through international partnerships that advance discovery.