The National Science Foundation awarded $3.3 million to the University of Texas at El Paso and the University of California, Santa Barbara, to establish a long-term partnership for materials science and engineering research, including solar energy. The award is part of the national Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials (PREM) grant program. The UTEP-UCSB PREM program broadens the participation and advanced degree attainment of underrepresented minorities, primarily Hispanic students, in materials science and engineering. It will enable students to participate in research internships at the partner university.