# Presentation: 030722

## Materials Science and Engineering Programs 

**Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee**
**Committee of Visitors**
**March 17, 18, 2003**

## 	•Materials Physics

- 	•Synthesis, Processing and Engineering Science
- 	•Neutron and X-ray Scattering
- 	•Condensed Matter Physics
- 	•Materials Chemistry

- Components of the Division of Materials Science and Engineering to be evaluated.

## The Charge to the Committee

**Assess, for both DOE laboratory and University Projects**
**Efficiency, and quality of the processes used to:**
- 	•Solicit, review, recommend and document proposal actions
- 	•Monitor active projects and programs
**Comment on how the process has affected:**
- 	•The breadth and depth of portfolio elements
- 	•The national and international standing of the portfolio
- 	  elements

## COV Membership

**Chair, John C. Hemminger, UCI**

| Materials Physics | Synthesis, Processing and 
Engineering Sciences |
| --- | --- |
| Chair, Julia Phillips, Sandia | Chair, Harry Atwater, CalTech |
| Dieter Ast, Cornell | Roger French, Dupont&U.Penn |
| John C. Bravman, Stanford | Carol Handwerker, NIST |
| Ron Gibala, U. Michigan | David Johnson, Ret. Bell Labs |
| Paul Peercy. U. Wisconsin | Daniel Joseph, U. Minnesota |

## COV Membership

| Neutron and X-ray Scattering | Condensed Matter Physics |
| --- | --- |
| Chair, Gordon Brown, Stanford | Chair, Jack Crow, Fl. State Univ |
| S, Chen, MIT | Don Gubser, NRL |
| Gabrielle Long, NIST | Steve Louie, UCB |
| Tom Russell, U. Mass. | Martin Moskovits, UCSB |
|  | Sidney Nagel, U. Chicago |
|  | John Wilkins, Ohio State Univ. |
| Materials Chemistry |  |
| Chair, Matthew Tirrell, UCSB |  |
| Frank DiSalvo, Cornell |  |
| Bruce Kay, PNNL |  |
| Janice Reutt-Robey, U. Maryland |  |
| Giacinto Scoles, Princeton |  |

## The Process

## Global Observations

**Quality of Science in the Program Portfolios**
- 	•Outstanding
- 	•Relevant to the Broad DOE mission
- 	•EPSCOR Program--very well managed and bringing
- 	   quality science into the programs
- 	•“Stability” of funding of PI’s leads to high quality
- 	    science
**Personnel**
- 	•Motivated, High quality, “Lean” staffing
- 	•Issues associated with running a Division with
- 	   “Lean” staffing.

## Global Observations (continued)

**“****Issues” with the Information Management for the Office of Science (IMSC)**
- 	•Difficult for PMs to use data base
- 	•Leads to development of individualized databases
- 	•Reviewer Database would be very useful
- 	•Collection of anonymous PI data to develop an
- 	   understanding of diversity issues

## Global Observations (continued)

**Proposal Handling/Decision Process**
- 	•Documentation
- 		Development of Timeline/document page
- 	•Uniform reviewer report forms
- 	•Verbatim copies of reviews should go to PI’s as a
- 	   matter of course
- 	•Reviewer conflicts of interest guidelines
- 	•Responses to negative reviews
- 	•Program Manager flexibility is very positive aspect
- 	of DOE-BES process

## Global Observations (continued)

**Project Monitoring**
- 	•Should be enhanced for University Programs
- 	**Contractor Meetings**
**	****	****include younger investigators not in the**
**	****	****program**
**	****•****Travel by program managers to meetings and **
**	****   ****lab visits should be protected to the extent **
**	****   ****possible**

## Global Observations (continued)

**Size of Grants**
- 	•_Consideration_ should be given to increasing the size
- 	of grants even at the expense of number of awards

## Future COVs