REU Site: Characterization of Advanced Materials

Washington State University, Pullman WA

Investigators

Abstract

Washington State University operates a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site on materials characterization. Twelve students are recruited nationwide every year for a ten-week summer research experience, with a recruitment focus in the Pacific Northwest region. Students participate in research projects that utilize modern characterization techniques to understand the relationships between processing, structure and properties of materials, such as the effects of crystal grain orientation on the corrosion of metals and the mechanical behavior of organic thin films. Students are grouped into project-based teams, each project is designed to be finished during the summer and requires team members to complete tasks in processing, structural characterization or properties measurements. The summer research experience culminates with a symposium where the students present the results of their work.