The main goal of Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials (PREM) is to enhance diversity in materials research and education by stimulating the development of formal, long-term, collaborative research and education partnerships between minority-serving colleges and universities and the NSF Division of Materials Research (DMR)-supported centers and facilities—NSF. Xavier and the NYU MRSEC enter a Partnership for Research and Education in Materials (PREM) to develop a strong materials science research core at Xavier – the #1 school in the nation in graduating African-American chemists, physicists and biologists – and an undergraduate materials science educational program (MSEP) that will introduce a materials science track within the ACS-certified Chemistry program at Xavier.