This summary highlights the accomplishments of the Center on Materials and Devices for Information Technology Research (CMDITR) from its 2002 inception to sunset in 2013.  CMDITR was created to meet the emerging need for new materials and devices in the broad area of information technology.  The overall goal of the Center was to create organic-based photonic materials and devices that in comparison to existing materials would result in faster information transfer, lower power consumption, better chip-scale integration, improved manufacturing flexibility, at a reduced cost. The decision to focus on organic and hybrid materials was predicated on the conviction that through a combination of theory, synthesis, and material characterization one could produce fundamentally new materials that would outperform existing technologies. In addition to advances in information technology, the Center was charged with the development of new educational tools and recruitment strategies designed to prepare a broad and talented workforce to place the United States at the front of the emerging area of information technology. During the Center’s existence roughly 50 investigators, 300 graduate students, and 120 postdoctoral scholars spread over nine institutions participated in CMDITR. With regards to knowledge transfer, 1450 peer-reviewed publications were produced, and seven startup companies were created based on the intellectual property created by the Center.  This intellectual property includes over 300 invention disclosures and 350 national and international patents and patent applications. 

In addition to the research and technology accomplishments, CMDITR played a central role in the development and implementation of a variety of educational and diversity programs at participating institutions.  For example, the Center played a seminal role in the creation of Entrepreneur Certificate programs in the School of Business at University of Washington.  Thousands of K-12 and college students participated in outreach and educational opportunities created by CMDITR, with some of these activities becoming national models by which to encouraging students to pursue careers in science and technology. In the areas of education and diversity enhancement, CMDITR partnered with Norfolk State University (NSU) to assist in the creation of their Materials Science and Engineering Ph.D. program, and with the National GEM consortium to increase the number of underrepresented minority science and engineering students that participate in STCs and advanced degree programs. CMDITR has also played an important role in promoting faculty and graduate student diversity.  The Center’s knowledge transfer program was remarkably successful, spinning off new companies (such as LumoFlex LLC, Soluxra, and TIPD) and developing strong ties with established electronics (e.g. Intel) and chemical companies (e.g. Solvay).  These partnerships provided effective venues by which to transition CMDITR-developed technology into the commercial sector.  CMDITR educational programs evolved to place greater emphasis on undergraduate and graduate education in order to focus our efforts on training students in science and engineering, but also providing these students with extensive exposure to ethics, diversity, and business development.  CMDITR also instituted new professional development programs to prepare students for the transition from academia to the workplace. The legacy of CMDITR is found in the variety of new research centers created at partner institutions, many of which are housed in new buildings created to support the research, educational, and diversity efforts pioneered by the Center.

Last Modified: 09/13/2013
Modified by: Philip ...

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