The National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperation Research Center (NSF I/UCRC) program, initiated in 1973, currently sponsors over 50 centers across the nation. The NSF encourages formation of Cooperative Research Centers involving more than one Institution. The I/UCRC in coatings has been active since 1990, and in 2000, the University of Southern Mississippi and Eastern Michigan University formed a joint Center. The assets of people and equipment of the institutions are highly complementary. The Coatings Research Center is organized and operated within NSF guidelines. While NSF provides funding for infrastructure, the major portion of funding comes from member companies and organizations. To learn more visit the web site USM and/or review the Annual Report of the NSF I/UCRC Coatings Research Center for the period 10/31/2001 to 10/31/2002.

Examples of some recent investigations of mechanical tribological properties of materials on the micro and nano scale with the Nano-Indenter and Scanning Probe Microscope are shown here.