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About IPRTThe Institute for Physical Research and Technology, or IPRT, established in 1987, is a group of scientific research centers at Iowa State University. IPRT’s principal mission is to focus both its fundamental and applied research strengths on the development of new technologies through interdisciplinary research in science and engineering. IPRT also provides company assistance to Iowa manufacturers and other firms and offers several educational programs. IPRT provides a diverse technological base for the development of new instruments, materials and process technologies that lead to economic development. Institute researchers include scientists and engineers from a wide variety of physical science and engineering disciplines. Scientific ResearchWith its network of research centers, IPRT encourages scientists to form multidisciplinary teams to find innovative, comprehensive solutions for some of today’s most complex scientific challenges. IPRT’s areas of expertise include materials and chemical sciences, virtual reality, nondestructive evaluation, aircraft reliability, forensic sciences, biorenewable energy, high-purity metals, microelectronics fabrication, catalytic processes, cluster and parallel computing, advanced semiconductors, and rare earths and magnetics. Company AssistanceIPRT Company Assistance helps Iowa manufacturers and entrepreneurs solve technical problems, create new products, and increase productivity and quality. Each year, IPRT works with more than 150 Iowa firms, from one-person startups to Fortune 500 corporations. IPRT Company Assistance provides short-term technical assistance on materials and nondestructive evaluation problems through its staff dedicated to helping Iowa companies. For contract research and development projects, IPRT Company Assistance can provide matching funds and facilitate discussions, assist with proposal development and contract negotiations, and manage projects from start to finish. EducationEducation is a vital component of IPRT’s mission. Over one-third of IPRT’s staff is composed of undergraduate and graduate students, who learn by working on real-world projects and research. In addition, IPRT administers the Science Bound program, which works to increase the number of diverse Iowans who pursue degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
HistoryAlthought officially formed in 1987, IPRT's roots go back much further. One of its precursors was the Institute for Atomic Research, was founded in 1947. It provided Iowa State University with a way to support the Ames Laboratory while enhancing the university's mission. Moreover, several of IPRT’s centers, including the Microelectronics Research Center, Center for Nondestructive Evaluation, and Materials Preparation Center, were formed in the 1980s, before IPRT came into existence. In 1987, Robert Hansen, director of the Ames Laboratory and the Energy and Mineral Resources Research Institute, worked with U.S. Rep. Neal Smith to secure funding for IPRT. “What we wanted to do was to take basic science and move it so it is useful to the community,” Hansen said. Initial centers include Ames Laboratory, Center for Coal and the Environment, Center for Nondestructive Evaluation, Microelectronics Research Center, Rare-earth Information Center and Materials Preparation Center. From 1997 to 2007, Tom Barton served as director of both IPRT and the Ames Laboratory. During this time, IPRT added the Midwest Forensics Research Center, the Center for Catalysis and the Center for Building Energy Research. In July 2007, George Kraus, an Iowa State chemistry professor, was named IPRT director. |
IPRT's scientific research centers perform both basic and applied research, working with partners throughout Iowa and the country. IPRT’s Virtual Reality Applications Center, for instance, has a major research partnership with Deere and Company, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of agricultural, forestry, construction and turf-care equipment. 
IPRT Company Assistance provides technical assistance to Iowa business and industry. Industrial Hardfacing, Inc. of Lamoni, Iowa, for example, came to IPRT and Iowa State University to develop an efficient way to grind complex surfaces on augers. 
IPRT’s Science Bound is Iowa State University's premier pre-college educational program, working to increase the number of diverse Iowans who pursue degrees and careers in agriculture, science, technology, engineering and mathematics. 
IPRT has a long history of leading-edge research. Indeed, some of its centers, such as the Center for Nondestructive Evaluation, were actually up and running prior to the founding of IPRT in 1987. |
Institute for Physical Research and Technology
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