Partnership Builds Capacity at Navajo Technical University

The Partnership for Research and Education in Materials (PREM) between Navajo Technical University (NTU) and the MRSEC at Harvard continued to build research and educational capacity at Navajo Technical University. Through research exchanges, NTU faculty, staff and students developed new research lines that engaged students throughout the year at both NTU and Harvard. In-person reciprocal visits, regular virtual meetings and collaborative paper planning have significantly advanced the research agenda at NTU in the areas of PDMS-based microfluidic encapsulation of traditional medicines, materials for energy efficient buildings, electrochemical detection of biomarkers and heavy metals, and characterization of traditional dyes. MRSEC postdoctoral researchers and students, several of whom are NTU PREM alumni, applied fundamental MRSEC research to the economic development of the Navajo Nation.