Ames Laboratory announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korean Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH). The agreement will promote an international collaboration on rare-earth research. The memorandum establishes a framework between the two organizations enabling them to jointly make advancements in rare-earth processing techniques, to transfer rare-earth discoveries to industrial applications, and to educate the next generation of rare-earth scientists and engineers. Kyoung-Hoan Na, president of KITECH, and Alex King, director of the US Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory, at the signing ceremony for a memorandum of understanding for collaboration on rare-earth research. (Image: KITECH) Alex King, director of the Ames Laboratory, and Kyoung-Hoan Na, president of KITECH, signed the agreement in Korea in April after the First International Workshop on Rare Metals, sponsored by the Korea Institute for Rare Metals (KIRAM). King was invited as a keynote speaker at the workshop, and KIRAM officials asked him to serve on its international committee. “The importance of rare metals, including rare earths, is growing increasingly evident,” Na said. “We are at the point where research and development in rare earths is of paramount importance.” The Ames Laboratory is a US Department of Energy Office of Science national laboratory operated by Iowa State University. It creates innovative materials, technologies and energy solutions. For more information, visit: www.ameslab.gov