Ashkan Salamt (Physics and Astronomy) was awarded a grant from the Air Force office of scientific research. The grant, "The synthesis of supernitride compounds via extreme (pressure, temperature) conditions: a new generation of high-energy density materials," is for $452,184. Modern calculations reveal a novel group of binary metals materials with high nitrogen content — “supernitrides” that are metastable under extreme conditions. Salamat's proposal aims to realize these new, high-energy density materials using a combination of laser heating and high pressure conditions and to identify pathways for material recoverability.