Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Chemistry at the University of California, Santa Cruz

University Of California-Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz CA

Investigators

Abstract

This award by the Chemistry a Division supports a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site at the University of California Santa Cruz for the summers of 2006-2008. The program director is Phillip Crews who is assisted by co-PI Theodore Holman. Eight students each year will do cutting-edge research organized into four clusters: Biochemistry, Bioinorganic Chemistry, Organic & Bioorganic Chemistry, and Physical & Physical Biochemistry. Participants will go through the process of science discovery - from the library, to the laboratory. The experience of using first principles to engage in research design will help the students to grow intellectually while developing essential laboratory and critical reasoning abilities. Capstone program activities planned continue this theme of learning through doing, as each student must develop the ability to interpret and communicate scientific results in both written and oral form. Students will be drawn from non-research colleges and universities where summer research opportunities are limited or non-existent. The NSF Ethics and Value Studies Program under the Directorate of Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Science and Society Program is providing support for the ethical component of this site.