NSF-NUE: NanoTRA-Texas Regional Alliance to Foster 'Nanotechnology Environment, Health, and Safety Awareness' in Tomorrow's Engineering and Technology Leaders

Dr. Tate, associate professor of manufacturing engineering, has established safe handling practices for industrial (such as nanoclay) and engineered (such as carbon nanotubes) nanoparticles in his research and teaching, dealing with advanced polymer nanocomposites. His research lab will serve as the training site on health and safety issues of nanomaterials. Dr. Tate is a mechanical engineer by training and has 16-plus years of academic and two years of industry experience. His research areas include developing, manufacturing; and characterizing the high-performance polymeric nanocomposites for rocket ablatives, fire-retardant interior structures of mass transit and aircraft, lighter and damage-tolerant wind turbine blades, and replacement of traditional composites using bio-based materials. He has mentored undergraduate African-American students under NASA-PAIR at NC A&T University, an HBCU, and Hispanic students under H-LSAMP at Texas State. He is a member of AIAA, ASME, ACMA, ASEE, and SAMPE. He is a recipient of a prestigious national teaching award, the 2009 Dow Chemical Educator of the Year by the Society of Plastics Engineers’ Composites Division.