Our goal is to get extensive faculty participation from the Commonwealth Campuses, with the creation of the C3N program. Faculty clusters (four or more faculty per cluster) in a given C3N can be from one or multiple campuses.
The aim is for the C3N program to broaden the portfolio of our ongoing research and strengthen the collaboration opportunities on proposals and publications. This will also create Penn State-wide centers on a given technical topic, thereby strengthening our ability to lead a given area nationally. Both industry and federal agencies will find this relevant.
In addition, it will also provide opportunities for enhanced mentoring of junior faculty and provide avenues for them to engage in additional proposal initiatives. The faculty in the C3N program will be full center members and involved in regular center meetings, have access to center faculty and staff, have the opportunity to participate in new project discussions, and engage in the preparation of research symposia or presentations. The C3N program will also strengthen our educational programs and provide an avenue for graduate student recruitment at University Park from Commonwealth Campuses.