Michael Braukus
Headquarters, Washington, DC           December 16, 1997
(Phone:  202/358-1979)

RELEASE:  97-284

NASA AWARDS MATERIALS SCIENCE RESEARCH GRANTS

     NASA has selected 44 researchers to receive grants 
totaling more than $17 million over four years for materials 
science research in microgravity.

     Sponsored by NASA's Office of Life and Microgravity 
Science and Applications, Washington, DC, the objective of the 
materials science research program is to expand our 
understanding of how materials form and how the process of 
formation influences the properties and usefulness of 
materials.  This knowledge also will provide the foundation for 
new technology advances in electronics, medical instruments and 
metal castings.

     Thirty-three of the grants are for ground-based research, 
while the remaining eleven are for flight definition projects.  
Nine of the grants are for continuation of work currently being 
funded by NASA; the remaining proposals represent new research 
efforts.

     NASA received 214 proposals in response to this research 
announcement.  These proposals were peer reviewed by scientific 
and technical experts from academia, industry and government.  
In addition, proposals selected for flight definition were 
reviewed for engineering feasibility by a team from NASA's 
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL.

     The list of the grant recipients is available by calling 
the NASA Headquarters Newsroom at 202/358-1600 or via the 
Internet at URL:

ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/1997/97-284a.txt

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