MRI - Focus On Materials

Welcome to Focus on Materials, the research bulletin of the Materials Research Institute and the faculty, students, and industrial partners engaged in materials research at Penn State. In this publication, you will find a range of informative stories on developments in electronic, optical and bio/medical materials, as well as energy, nanotechnology, and the environment. To be sure that you receive this free publication in the form that is most convenient for you, please take a moment to visit our online subscription management.

Spring 2008 Issue

Welcome to the spring issue of Focus on Materials! In this issue we will show how the exponential growth in computational speed and memory over the last quarter century is driving the rapid development in the field of computational materials design. That growth is reflected in new centers and groups within the Penn State materials community that are using high performance computers and specialized software to run virtual experiments that can, for instance, predict the mechanical properties of new materials, optimize processing conditions, study defects, and simulate chemical reactions over time.

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