Non-technical abstract: Understanding and controlling the physical properties of materials is important for both scientific research and technological advancement. This project conducts a comprehensive experimental investigation to unveil the underlying magnetic energy scales that affect long-range magnetic ordering in van der Waals magnets. The successful acquisition of this information is pivotal to the fundamental understanding of magnetism in low-dimensional systems and broader progress in quantum materials. The novel materials design and synthesis part of this project aims to generate a large pool of newly available compounds that exhibit a wide range of magnetic properties. These new magnets further contribute to the emergent field of quantum magnetism, essential for realizing the quantum revolution in future technologies. The education plan integrates with this research project by broadening education in magnetism and condensed-matter experimental techniques at multiple levels to benefit graduate, undergraduate, and K-12 students. The education plan also promotes the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion in physics consistent with the University of Arizona?s institutional commitments and designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Technical abstract: Magnetism offers a unique avenue for manipulating physical properties at the nanoscale. However, the development of low-dimensional magnetism faces significant constraints due to a limited understanding of magnetic properties and a lack of available layered magnetic materials. The goals of this project are to advance the understanding of low dimensional magnetic ordering through systematic thermodynamic characterization, and to synthesize new magnetic van der Waals (vdW) materials that will play a major role in future electronics. Experimental efforts focus on systematically characterizing the magnetic exchange interaction and magnetic anisotropy of bulk vdW magnets through low-temperature magnetization and heat capacity measurements. These experimental results are crucial for a quantitative understanding of the key factors that influence the magnetic properties of layered magnets in both bulk form and at the two-dimensional limit. The project team also aims to design and synthesize new functional vdW magnets that exhibit a controlled magnetic behavior and high magnetic ordering temperature by integrating chemistry and physics guiding principles. This project taps into underdeveloped areas that include rare earth magnetism and perovskite-type structures, which offer a wide tunability in both electronic and magnetic states. Results from exploratory synthesis experiments are made publicly available, contributing to a balanced training dataset for future machine learning developments aimed at accelerating new material discovery. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.