Faculty Start-up Package to Strengthen Materials Research at ECSU

Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) is a constituent of the University of North Carolina (UNC) system serving Northeastern North Carolina (NENC), providing affordable academic programs and services of exceptional caliber in a nurturing environment. Our mission is to promote economic, social, and environmental progress for the people of northeastern North Carolina, the state, and the nation. We achieve our commitment to the highest quality education by maintaining a rigorous focus on academic excellence through liberal arts programs and using innovative and flexible technology-based instruction models to enhanceour signature areas: integrating technology with education, improving human health and wellness, and advancing the natural and aviation sciences. The goal of the proposed project is to develop and offer a competitive start-up package to a new faculty hire with high potential to enhance existing research and to develop new research program/projects which impacts the Department of Defense (DoD) needs in material science and engineering. The funding will enhance research capacity that will enable the new facultyto conduct innovative materials research, leverage existing partnerships and resources while establishing new partnerships with major research institutions. As a long-term goal, this initiative will put us on the road toward establishing a Materials Research Center to promote basic and applied science research and collaborative and innovative research training in areasrelevant to the DoD.