JERSEY CITY - On Friday, local and state officials will gather at Saint Peter’s College in Jersey City to officially open the College’s Center for Microplasma Science and Technology (CMST). The center will serve as the first and only topical scientific and educational center devoted entirely to the emerging field of microplasma research in the United States.

Microplasmas, tiny discharges of ionized gas, contain the ability to clean contaminated air and water, sterilize medical equipment, allow for skin and dental treatments and provide resources for energy efficiency.

The event starts at 9:30 a.m. on the campus on Kennedy Boulevard with remarks from St. Peter's College President Eugene J. Cornacchia, Ph.D., U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Representatives Steve Rothman and Albio Sires and Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy, with a ribbon cutting ceremony and tour of the new facility to follow.

The college in July 2009 received $2 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Defense to establish the center, due in part to research done by the college's professors of physics Jose L. Lopez, Ph.D., and Wei-Dong Zhu, Ph.D. - RK