This summer, twelve North Carolina A&T students participated in a hands-on research exchange at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) through the NSF PREM Collaborative Research and Education in Advanced Materials (CREAM) partnership. The students joined UCSD’s Research Immersion in Materials Science and Engineering (RIMSE) program, led by UCSD professor Andrea Tao, engaging directly with graduate-level research in plasmonic materials, biomaterials, and two-dimensional chalcogenides.

The initiative, originally designed for a small group, expanded significantly to accommodate the strong response from A&T. “Everybody who applied got in,” said Dhananjay Kumar, A&T professor and CREAM principal investigator. “Collaboration brings the best of both.”

Students worked alongside UCSD faculty, including PREM co-PI and MRSEC director Michael Sailor, in laboratories typically reserved for advanced research. The immersive, full-day format gave participants a deeper appreciation of materials science in practice.

The collaboration exemplifies Professor Kumar’s focus on expanding access to high-impact research experiences and sustaining student engagement beyond the summer. Several participants are continuing their projects under PREM support at A&T, with plans to return to UCSD in 2026 as mentors to new trainees.