Our Story

Dr. Narciso Garcia

The Garcia Center for Polymers at Engineered Interfaces is a collaboration of academic, industrial, and government laboratories. The Garcia Center is funded by the National Science Foundation as part of its Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) program. The goal of the MRSEC is to combine the instrumentation and expertise of the participating institutions into a coordinated research program on polymer interface science. The principal focus areas include thin films, coatings, nanostructured materials, and composites. These areas address both the fundamental and applied aspects that are relevant to the development of cutting edge enabling technologies for a diverse group of U.S. industries. In the community, the mission of the center is to serve as a valuable resource providing easy access for technological assistance to educational and industrial institutions.

The Center is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Narciso Garcia who served as an inspiration to the Center. Dr. Garcia worked tirelessly to promote collaborative interdisciplinary research in order to establish a center for excellence in science education for students in the N.Y. Metropolitan Area. This Center, which was originally planned under his guidance, was established one month after his death on July 17, 1996.