Dave McIlroy has received a grant from the Department of Defense, Office of Naval Research, to study the fundamental properties of hybrid metamaterials consisting of gold mesoscopic structures and wide bandgap semiconductors for the purpose of enhancing the electrical responses of sensors to the presence of airborne analytes, such as the signatures of explosives. The project is entitled, “Surface Plasmon Polariton Pumped Explosives.” It is a three-year project with a budget of $426,642 that will support two graduate students, an undergraduate, and the associated costs of the research.