Dr. Thomas M. Mayer, Industrial Advisory Board Chairman, Sandia National Laboratories

"Sandia National Labs' mission to serve the country in areas of national security, energy, and environment include a number of areas where membrane technology is critical, including water treatment, gas separations, fuel cells, and others. Sponsorship of the MAST Center gives us an important interface with both academic research and industrial developments in membrane technology, which help to shape our own R&D efforts. We look to form long-term collaborative relationships with MAST investigators and other MAST sponsors where we are able to leverage our investments by working with some of the best university programs in the country. Access to project results, the opportunity to provide guidance on project directions, the potential recruiting pool of students and post-docs from MAST schools, and the ability to interact closely with other sponsors are all benefits we gain by being a MAST sponsor. As a National Laboratory, we are also able to make specialized facilities at the labs accessible to MAST investigators. It works for all of us!"

Dr. Kumar Abhinava
Engineering Consultant, Eli Lilly and Company

"The MAST consortia provides an important avenue for Eli Lilly and Company for effective leveraging in carrying out and having access to the results of medium to long-term membrane technology developments. The MAST Center has an excellent track record since the Center was formed 14 years ago and has access to a number of faculties at CU and UC - both academic staff and specialized lab and analytical equipment to support the research work. The research projects are undertaken by high-quality research graduate students or post-docs and this provides an opportunity for recruitment of well-trained researchers. Bi-annual meetings allow for good networking with fellow sponsors, research students and academic staff - the format of the meeting is excellent and has led to some tangible benefits already."

Dr. Anthony E. Allegrezza
Principal Consulting Scientist
Millipore Corporation

Millipore is a leader in membrane filtration for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, and life sciences in general. Millipore joined the MAST Center because of their history of diverse and ground-breaking research. We have used the work being done within the MAST Center to explore new directions in our own research and development. The MAST Center has a history of developing imaginative and innovative methods for characterizing membranes and membrane applications. They have the broadest range of research project history of universities in the US and among the top 3 or 4 in the world and they can draw upon this history to more quickly set up new projects in response to sponsor requirements.  They have also provided Millipore with long-term association with high quality students with extensive experience in membrane-based research."

Dr. Alex Schwarzkopf
Program Director
Engineering Education/Centers Division
National Science Foundation

"I oversee 50 research centers sponsored by the National Science Foundation. As an Industry/University Cooperative Research Center, the MAST Center has established an impressive 14-year record of performance. The industrial sponsors have stated that Center scientific achievements are significant and have had a real impact on membrane science and technology. They have met all NSF guidelines for Center operation and now are functioning as a Multi-University Center with two Center sites, one at the University of Colorado and one at the University of Cincinnati. Their level of ongoing success provided a strong basis for their proposal for continued financial support from the National Science Foundation as a Multi-University I/U CRC, and the Engineering, Education and Centers Division of NSF provided the MAST Center with a five-year continuing MUC award in 2001."

Professor Carol Lynch
Dean of the Graduate School
Associate Vice Chancellor for Research
University of Colorado at Boulder

"We are very proud of this center. The MAST Center has consistently performed well and has attracted significant industrial attention to our research program. In addition, MAST research has actively involved a large number of graduate and undergraduate students. This educational experience complements and enhances traditional disciplinary based education. The University has recently increased its financial support because of the outstanding long-term track record of the MAST Center."

These are just a few comments from people who have been involved in the MAST Center. You can learn more about the Center by attending our next meeting, where our sponsors will gather for several days of networking and interactions. Or you can arrange a personal visit with one of our co-directors.