In the News

Coates and Hillmyer awarded the 2026 Balzan Prize

Geoffrey W. Coates, an iCOUP senior investigator from Cornell University, and Marc A. Hillmyer, from the University of Minnesota, were awarded the 2026 Balzan Prize for Biodegradable Polymers from Renewable Sources.

Erik Luijten named new Northwestern provost

Erik Luijten became Northwestern’s provost on July 1, 2026.

$1M award will establish new chemical reaction dynamics facility at UH Mānoa

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has been awarded $999,997 from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to build a Tunable Photoionization Chemical Dynamics Facility, and Ames Lab Scientist Peng Xu is a collaborator on the project.

SQMS Center uncovers material origins of variations in qubit performance through landmark study

A first-of-its-kind blinded materials characterization study spanning 22 superconducting quantum devices, seven characterization techniques and six leading institutions, including Ames National Laboratory, helps build the scientific foundations of scalable quantum computing.

Manufacturing Drive: DOE proposes $10M for critical minerals research and development

A media pick-up on the DOE/CMI story of selecting new projects through a competitive open call

DOE’s Critical Materials Innovation Hub Awards $10 Million for Early-Stage Research and Development

The U.S. Department of Energy news of Critical Materials Innovation Hub Awards $10 Million for Early-Stage Research and Development. These are projects selected through a competitive request for proposals.

Nature Protocols features iCOUP plastic upcycling method

Featured Nature Protocols paper advances efforts to turn plastic waste into valuable materials

Stock image of plastic waste floating in a large body of water

Ames Lab, CMI Hub partner in NSF Critical Materials Crossroads Engine

Partnership supports national effort to strengthen critical materials supply chains and manufacturing.

Hands display rare-earth materials at different stages of the supply chain, from a raw ore rock and partially processed granules to finished components represented by cylindrical battery cells and a smartphone, illustrating the progression from mined materials to advanced technology products.

AI-powered hunt for stronger magnets earns Iowa State and Ames Lab $2.7 million grant

AI and advanced chemistry team up to create next-generation magnets.

IPR River to River: New documentary highlights critical material recovery efforts in Iowa

CMI technology and a process developed at Ames National Laboratory is the foundation for the commercialization of acid-free dissolution, which is described in a documentary film described in an interview with the researcher, corporation and filmmaker on the Iowa Public Radio show River to River.