Research in the Chemical Sciences for Undergraduates at Louisiana State University

Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge LA

Investigators

Abstract

This award provides funding to Louisiana State University (LSU) for the support of a three-year, REU Site in the Chemical Sciences, under the direction of Dr. Steven F. Watkins and Dr. Kerry M. Dooley. This is a renewal of a successful site for summer research in the chemical sciences and will result in the training of 42 undergraduate students (14 per year). The nine-week summer program is a joint effort by chemical engineers, chemists, and biochemists at LSU and offers a diverse cadre of students, who are drawn from all parts of the U.S., the opportunity to contribute in a meaningful way to well-funded, active research projects. The REU site builds on past achievements, most notably that more than sixty percent of its interns haven chosen to attend top graduate schools in chemical engineering or a closely related discipline. The program is particularly successful in leveraging regional resources from industry and its emphasis on written and verbal communications skills through mini-proposals, final reports, oral presentations and posters.