Columbia University's REU Site in Chemistry

Columbia University, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

This Chemistry Division award supports the continuation of a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site at Columbia University. Leonard Fine is the site's Program Director and Bhawana Venkataraman is the Co-Program Director. Twenty-four faculty will serve as REU student mentors. Over the award period (2002-2004), ten students will be supported each summer in a ten-week program. To increase their record in the past of 15% minority students to at least 20%, they will actively develop personal contacts at minority serving institutions with faculty and administrators. Research available to the students includes analytical and theoretical chemistry, synthetic and biological chemistry, physical and inorganic chemistry, solid state and nanochemistry, polymer chemistry and materials research. Students will participate on a regular basis in group meetings and seminars. Two daylong field trips are planned -- one to a national laboratory and the other to an industrial laboratory. An external review is being developed in addition to students and research mentors completing a survey both at the start and at the end of the program. Students in the program will be tracked in subsequent years.