New center focuses on resilient materials

University of California researchers are joining forces with their counterparts in Baja California to design, manufacture and test materials that can withstand high temperatures and other extreme conditions.

The new collaboration, formally launched Tuesday on the UC San Diego campus at the Jacobs School of Engineering, aims to create materials and systems that can function in a range of environments, such as ultra-high and ultra-low temperatures, radiation and extreme pressures.

Dubbed the CaliBaja Center for Resilient Materials and Systems, the center involves researchers from National Autonomous University of Mexico’s Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in Ensenada. Also participating are researchers from the Mexico’s Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education (CICESE) in Ensenada.

A primary goal of the center is to develop “a 21st century engineer, that crosses borders, that is bicultural, bilingual, binational, that can really understand both sides of the border and can work seamlessly on both sides of the border,” said Olivia Graeve, the center’s director. She is a Tijuana native who earned her doctorate in materials science and engineering at UC Davis.

The center is based at the Jacobs School and its initial funding comes from UC San Diego. The hope is to find corporate sponsors: “The idea is to be responsive to industry and have them support the work,” said Graeve, professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at the Jacobs School.

The center joins experts on both sides of the border who specialize in developing materials that can survive extremely acidic environments of biological systems, extreme temperatures and pressures affecting aircraft, and high radiation environments of nuclear reactors.

The findings could have application for two sectors, aerospace and biomedical, with growth potential in Baja California, and representatives for both attended the ceremony, as did a representative of the Mexican Chamber of Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Technologies. Also in attendance was José Paulo Carreño King, Mexico’s undersecretary for North America at Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

sandra.dibble@sduniontribune.com