May 10, 2018

Castro Announces $280K for UTSA Collaborative Research

Washington, D.C.—Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and First Vice Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, announced $279,976 of federal funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support research in the field of organic materials and low-dimensional systems:

“I welcome the NSF funding for University of Texas at San Antonio’s (UTSA) Nanotechnology Lab in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, which focuses on testing theoretical models and explores the emergence of new magnetic properties. In addition to the research, the community outreach efforts associated with this project will increase scientific knowledge in high school students and provide tools for educators across our nation. UTSA’s groundbreaking research on many fronts including science makes them a great candidate for this grant and I commend them for their work in preparing our next generation of physicists.”

The grant was awarded to UTSA to support research by Dr. Carlos Monton, in the Nanotechnology Lab of UTSA’s Department of Physics and Astronomy. Dr. Monton’s research is in the area of the magneto-electrical properties of nano-sized materials which can be used to address various applied technologies, such as high-density data storage and bio-chemical sensors.

This research also provides training at first synchrotron and neutron facilities for students in this program, and exposes them to state of the art advanced experimental techniques. Community outreach efforts associated with this project involve a partnership with high schools in San Antonio school districts and the production of short videos on different topics related to nanotechnology using a comical approach. The grant is projected to run from June 1, 2018 to May 31, 2021.

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