Alfred University awarded $480,000 grant from National Science Foundation
Alfred University has been awarded a $480,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to conduct research on the process of glass relaxation. The project will study how glass relaxation optimizes the production of new glass materials and will provide hands-on experiential learning opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students at Alfred University.
Funding for the four-year project— titled “RUI: Examining the Discrepancy Between Stress and Enthalpy Relaxation in Borosilicate Glasses: An Experimental and Numerical Study”—was announced Thursday by U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy. Research will be led by Collin Wilkinson, assistant professor of glass science in Alfred University’s Inamori School of Engineering.
“Alfred University is a leader in advanced scientific research and I am proud to advocate for their work that can ensure America is at the forefront of innovation,” Langworthy stated. “This significant grant will invest in the next generation of Southern Tier scientists and engineers. The discoveries made through this funding will lead to consequential academic and industry advancements.”
The project seeks to uncover the origins of glass relaxation through a joint experimental and simulation-based approach. Work on the project will leverage Alfred University’s unique expertise in high-temperature measurements to evaluate the rate of relaxation for a range of different glass materials. The findings from these experiments will be reinforced by atomistic simulations—looking at how individual atoms interact with each other over time— to better understand structural origins.
“Glass relaxation is the process of glass, an unstable material, trying to reach stability,” Wilkinson explained. “This process has been investigated for a long time but remains largely a mystery. Advanced glasses, however, make up the backbone of our digital infrastructure, which are strongly influenced by relaxation, thus the importance of this work.”
The work will seek to better predict the mechanical strength, optical transparency and density of technical glass used in many of the advanced devices businesses and consumers use every day. Understanding these properties is critical for high-tech applications such as optical fiber, display materials, and emerging solid-state electrolytes used in new energy storage devices.
Undergraduate and graduate engineering students will play a key role in the research, using experience they have gained through participation in the Inamori School’s Undergraduate Summer Research Institute, an initiative launched by Wilkinson last summer. The institute “provides undergraduate and graduate students with summer opportunities to work with faculty on some pretty complex materials-science based challenges,” said Gabrielle Gaustad ’04, dean of the Inamori School of Engineering and associate provost for Research.
The project is expected to expand the undergraduate summer research program, offering students technical roles, professional development seminars, industry site tours, and opportunities to present their research. This initiative not only aims to advance the field of technical glass design but also prepares students for careers in ceramics and glass science.
“We are excited to be receiving this award through the NSF Ceramics program and thank Congressman Langworthy for his support. This project will further increase the number of hands-on research opportunities students can pursue, leading to some very important outcomes and better preparing students to enter the workforce after graduation,” Gaustad remarked.
“Alfred University is proud to be recognized as a leader in glass science and engineering,” said Alfred University President Mark A. Zupan, citing Alfred University’s standing as the only university in the United States offering glass engineering and science degree programs at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels.
“We are grateful to Congressman Langworthy for his support in securing this significant grant that will further the research opportunities available to our students, faculty, and staff,” Zupan said. “This investment recognizes the exceptional work of our faculty, particularly Gabrielle Gaustad and Collin Wilkinson. Their dedication and expertise are driving advancements that will have a lasting impact on the industries that will benefit from the research.”