Northrop Grumman, USC Viterbi School of Engineering Establish Research Institute to Develop Advanced Optical Materials
April 28 2016 - 9:30AM
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) and the University of
Southern California (USC) Viterbi School of Engineering have teamed
up to establish a new home for advanced research in optical
materials and nanophotonic devices.
The new organization – the Northrop Grumman Institute of
Nanophotonics and Nanomaterials (NG-ION2) – will be based on the
USC campus in Los Angeles. It will bring together research teams
from the university and the aerospace industry to explore the
properties of tiny structures and materials that exist only at the
atomic level.
Nanophotonics is the study of the behavior of light on the
nanometer scale and of the interaction of nanometer-scale objects
with light. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter. A sheet of
paper is about 100,000 nanometers thick.
"The collaboration between USC Viterbi and Northrop Grumman has
a long, productive and impactful history," said USC Viterbi Dean
Yannis C. Yortsos. "NG-ION2 will enhance our common ties and
contribute significantly to the advancement of photonics, an area
of historical strength at USC, and of critical importance to
technological evolution."
Under the agreement, Northrop Grumman will contribute $500,000
to NG-ION2 in 2016. This funding will help foster interdisciplinary
research by material scientists, electrical engineers, physicists
and chemists to develop novel materials for optical devices.
"The creation of the institute is based on the shared
recognition that technological innovation begins with fundamental
science discoveries," said Tom Pieronek, vice president, basic
research, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. "Breakthroughs in
optical materials can lead to disruptive changes in how we approach
missions of global significance. We're looking forward to a
sustained and productive relationship with USC."
Historically, industry has played a critical role in enabling
the transition of nanomaterials from academic research into
commercial devices. NG-ION2 will support fundamental,
interdisciplinary science research that will accelerate innovation
as nanomaterials become increasingly complex.
NG-ION2 will also enable regular exchanges between USC and
Northrop Grumman researchers working across projects. USC Viterbi
will grant Northrop Grumman scientists visiting researcher
positions, a strategy that will allow them to work collaboratively
on campus with their Institute counterparts to advance science in
nanomaterials and integrated photonics.
Professor Andrea Armani, of USC Viterbi and Jesse Tice, senior
scientist and nanomaterials group lead, Northrop Grumman Aerospace
Systems, will serve as NG-ION2's co-directors. Professor Armani
leads a research group at USC focused on integrated photonics.
The Northrop Grumman/USC Viterbi team has selected a wide range
of projects for initial support in 2016. These projects include
theoretical and experimental studies on 2D materials, plasmonics
and nonlinear optics. The team will select additional projects for
support later this summer.
About USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Engineering Studies began at the University of Southern
California in 1905. Nearly a century later, the school received a
naming gift in 2004 from alumnus Andrew J. Viterbi, inventor of the
Viterbi algorithm, now key to cell phone technology and numerous
data applications. One of the school's guiding principles is
engineering+, a term coined by current Dean Yannis C. Yortsos to
use the power of engineering to address the world's greatest
challenges. USC Viterbi is ranked among the top graduate programs
in the world and enrolls more than 6,500 undergraduate and graduate
students taught by 185 tenured and tenure-track faculty, with 73
endowed chairs and professorships. http://viterbi.usc.edu/.
About Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing
innovative systems, products and solutions in autonomous systems,
cyber, C4ISR, strike, and logistics and modernization to government
and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit
www.northropgrumman.com for more information.
CONTACT: Brooks McKinney, APR
Northrop Grumman Corporation
310-812-4964 (office)
310-864-3785 (mobile)
brooks.mckinney@ngc.com
Amy Blumenthal
USC Viterbi School of Engineering
213-821-1887 (office)
917-710-1897 (mobile)
amyblume@usc.edu
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