Spectroscopy at Coe College: A Research Experiences for Undergraduates Site

Coe College, Cedar Rapids IA

Investigators

Abstract

This award supports the REU site in Spectroscopy at Coe College, sponsored jointly by the Physics and Chemistry departments, which continues a tradition of strong interaction with undergraduate students pursuing high-level, publishable research. The REU students will carry out research in glass science, optics, environmental chemistry, molecular biology, acoustics, and biomaterials, all under the common focus of spectroscopy. They will be exposed and trained in a variety of techniques, including FTIR, Raman, NMR, SEM, absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies, SPM, x-ray fluorescence, calorimetry, and others. The projects are designed to be suitable for undergraduates, but also challenging and leading to results of interest to external researchers. This year the site has added a Research Experience for Teachers component to the REU site to support k-12 teachers in seven weeks of summer research. This site is supported by the Divisions of Physics and Materials Research in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences, and is co-funded by the Department of Defense in partnership with the NSF REU program.