1. Core User Facilities (CUF)
Mitigate experimental research infrastructure limitations, which impair collaborative research and development (R&D) in advanced manufacturing & materials, and appropriately change the culture
I am adding a special feature here: allowing the map and the red text to appear after discussing what life was like before the CIMM project
Then the talk can talk about how CUF fixes this problem and what we’ve done and what we’re doing. That’s the basic flow I’m developing here
Supported by the US National Science Foundation through co-operative agreement OIA

2. Before CUF
Research infrastructure spread across Louisiana but isolated, promoting inefficient duplication,
No effective effort or means to pool resources, talent, investment and ensure efficiency and sustainability,
No plan to communicate and share research resources/capabilities across Louisiana.
Individual researchers limited
to access only local research infrastructure
and unable to access critical research infrastructure
I am adding a special feature here: allowing the map and the red text to appear after discussing what life was like before the CIMM project
Then the talk can talk about how CUF fixes this problem and what we’ve done and what we’re doing. That’s the basic flow I’m developing here

3. The Core User Facilities (CUF) Solution
Leverage existing cost-recovery centers as the CIMM-CUF founding core members.
Current CUF Members Statewide:
Institute for Micro-manufacturing (IfM),
Shared Instrumentation Facility (SIF),
Advanced Manufacturing & Machining Facility (AM2F),
Materials Manufacturing, Testing & Evaluation Facility (M2TEF).
Other Potential CUF Members Under Consideration:
Advanced Materials Research Institute (AMRI)
National Center for Advanced Manufacturing
Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices (CAMD)

4. The CUF Solution - continued
Integrated, easy access to state-of-the-art research infrastructure and capabilities in Advanced Manufacturing and Materials.
Provides
easy access to experimental facilities for R&D,
support for, and promotes, a collaborative culture and community,
education and training,
growth of new state-of-the-art experimental capabilities.
Sustainable – an ecosystem of cost-recovery centers.
Efficient – avoid unnecessary & expensive duplication of resources,
Widely Available – state-wide > nation-wide.
CIMM CUF has introduced critical equipment that is available today

5. The CUF Solution - continued
An integrated CUF Portal:
Dedicated web site now available
Full capabilities of CUF known within the state for the first time
Enables facilities booking and interaction with CUF facilities experts
Expanding the CUF footprint:
Additional cost-recovery centers may join the CIMM-CUF in the future when they fulfill membership requirements detailed in the CUF Charter, generated as part of CIMM and the CUF solution
Env. SEM + EDAX
Develop a solution to include isolated instruments of general use residing in institutions without cost-recovery centers
With CIMM Funding

6. Institute for Micromanufacturing (IfM) - Highlights
Equipment and Services for
Alternating Gradient Magnetometry
Scanning Electron Microscopy (STT1&2)
Hall Effect Measurements
X-Ray Diffractometry (STT1&2)
Thermogravimetric Analysis
Spectroscopic Ellipsometry (STT1&2)
Field Emission SEM with EDAX
XRD
Pictures from clockwise:
SEM  Students at work in Lab space  XRD
48,000 ft2 of laboratory space, including 5,000 ft2 of modular clean-room space

12. CUF Success: Cross-Institutional Use
Examples
Already Working Within CIMM:
Weiss (LaTECH) using 3D Metal Printing at AMMF (LSU)
Arges (LSU) using IfM (LaTECH) e-beam evaps./magnetron sputtering
Lvov and Montes (LaTECH) using the XRD at the SIF (LSU)
IfM, AM2F/M2TEF, SIF Managers exchanged familiarization visits
Training program is under development
Leveraging external and other users of CUF constituent facilities:
Other regional Universities (e.g. UT Austin, Lamar U., South. Miss. U., U. of Alabama, Kansas U.)
Industry Customers (e.g. Albemarle, Stupp, start-ups …)
Government Customers

13. CUF Today
Accessible and growing ecosystem of sustainable cost-recovery centers,
Growing collaborative community and culture in Advanced Manufacturing and Materials,
Supporting cross-institutional and state-wide advanced R&D in Advanced Manufacturing and Materials.