3M: A Forty-Year Partnership
Updated 6-20-24
Dayne Swearer, assistant professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and head of the Swearer Lab, is among the 2023 recipients of 3M’s Non-Tenured Faculty Awards, a highly competitive program designed to encourage the pursuit of new ideas among younger university professors. Swearer said he plans to use the funds to send his PhD students to conferences like the Gordon Research Conferences, where they’ll get the chance to network and share their research with experts in their field. Ultimately, he envisions his lab making a tangible impact on the world with the support of 3M.
The company behind well-known brands such as Post-it® Notes, Scotch™ tape and more, 3M has been a consistent partner of Northwestern, supporting research and education for over 40 years.
“It was really a great honor to be selected by 3M, because one thing I want for my research is to make an impact in the real world,” Swearer said. “We want to make an impact in the real world fast because we work a lot on technologies that are related to climate, sustainability and energy. I don't think we're at a point in history where we can afford to be slow with these things.”
3M has provided Non-Tenured Faculty Awards to several prominent Northwestern professors in the past. In the last five years alone, awardees have included Julia Kalow, James Rondinelli, Ollie Cossairt, and Brent Hecht.
In addition to supporting early career faculty, the company also supports efforts to diversify the materials science field. Currently, 3M helps fund two different undergraduate outreach initiatives in NU’s Materials Science and Engineering department: the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) and the Materials Initiative for Comprehensive Research Opportunity (MICRO) programs. These initiatives provide complementary ways to engage talented and passionate undergraduate students in materials science research and education. Each program pairs undergraduates at R2 universities with Northwestern faculty to learn comprehensive research and lab safety practices, which culminate in a research project and poster presentation that can be used to apply to graduate programs at R1 universities.
3M has been funding the Materials Science REU at Northwestern since 2011, supporting the housing, transportation and stipend costs for over 50 students to spend their summers researching materials science among Northwestern’s faculty and facilities.
“It gives them an opportunity to really focus on research over the summer with world class materials researchers,” said Kathleen Stair, Education Outreach Director of Northwestern’s Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, which hosts this particular REU program. “I always enjoy interacting with the students at Northwestern, and the most rewarding part is to see how engaged they are in research over the summer. I see the culmination of their research at the final symposium, I see their ability to present their research to their peers, and I see how much they've grown and enjoyed the experience.”
Cécile Chazot, co-founder of MICRO and assistant professor of materials science and engineering, helps bring materials science opportunities to undergraduate students who haven’t yet had the chance to study the field. Materials science isn’t an available undergraduate major in 55 out of the top 100 universities in the U.S. and it’s not offered at any major HBCUs, so MICRO allows passionate students to explore the field alongside their regular studies. Students who are accepted to the program receive a comprehensive education in materials science fundamentals (e.g. thermodynamics, crystallography) and conduct their own research project online during the academic year while supported by a stipend funded by 3M. Students also receive critical professional skills workshops, such as in science communication, to help them grow into proficient materials engineers and researchers. All MICRO alumni have gone on to graduate school; seven of MICRO’s alumni received the prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship on their first application.
Although this year is the first time 3M has supported MICRO, the collaboration is already growing beyond curriculum funding. In January 2024, the program’s first in-person MICRO Summit was held at MIT, where MICRO students from across the country shared research presentations, attended graduate school panels, and networked with the professional materials science world. The summit will return next year on Northwestern’s campus, as MICRO faculty from both Northwestern and MIT hope to grow collaboration between the two institutions and bring greater opportunities to students.
“3M is one of the world’s leading materials science companies,” Chazot said, “so it's super important for us to have them on board because they’ll help kids realize why materials science is cool and that it has a lot of career opportunities.”
In fact, 3M has provided long-standing support for developing talent at Northwestern. The company has sponsored student car teams with funding for parts and services, as well as providing basic materials such as cleaning supplies and sandpaper. As an active recruiter on campus, 3M participates in mock interviewing activities and has hired Northwestern students for internships as well as full-time positions.
In yet another example of how 3M is partnering on campus, the company recently participated in a large, successful proposal to the Department of Energy to explore the feasibility of a direct air capture hub in the Midwest. Led at Northwestern by Jennifer Dunn, professor of chemical engineering and co-director of the Center for Engineering Sustainability & Resilience, the Midwest Nuclear Direct Air Capture (MINDAC) Hub celebrated its launch in May 2024.
The MINDAC Hub will draw on interdisciplinary expertise from professors in chemistry, earth and planetary sciences, chemical and biological engineering, and economics. With Northwestern’s researchers and 3M’s industry experts, the goal is to turn direct air capture into a scalable, economically viable tool to mitigate climate change’s effects.
“As a materials-based manufacturing company, 3M can help establish and amplify the MINDAC Hub by providing our world-class expertise and capability in R&D and manufacturing,” said Kevin Eberman, Climate Tech Architect at 3M. “3M has prioritized climate tech development, and this is a great opportunity for us to contribute.”
“Given the urgency and severity of climate change, we need all options on the table—full speed ahead,” added Dunn. “These options include direct air capture. We are excited to work with all our MINDAC partners and the Department of Energy to build a viable carbon capture hub in our region.”
The partnership of 3M’s industrial power and Northwestern’s diverse ambitions makes for a broad wave of support for a stronger, better future. From supporting undergraduate education to mitigating climate change, 3M’s involvement brings fresh energy into each of these projects.
“One of the best ways you can make an impact is to have industrial partners like 3M,” said Swearer. “They are willing to invest, engage and help translate that science beyond the bench.”
More information about 3M can be found at www.3M.com.