REU Site: Doing Polymer Science with Collaborations at Four-Year Schools

University Of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg MS

Investigators

Abstract

9988060 Mathias The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) provides opportunities for undergraduate research through a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site. The REU Site is hosted by the Department of Polymer Science at the University. Ten students are recruited nationwide every year for a ten-week summer research experience, with a recruitment focus on students from undergraduate institutions. The REU Site participants include science education majors, or pre-service teachers, and science majors whose goal is to teach, as well as participation of faculty from the students' home institutions through development of research collaborations with the USM faculty. The program at USM provides non-USM undergraduates an opportunity to learn how to do polymer research by actually doing it under the supervision of the USM faculty. It also provides an opportunity for enhancing undergraduate research at small colleges and universities by training faculty there who work with students in the USM REU program and extend the research projects developed with USM faculty to involve other students