REU Site: Exploring Structures of Molecules and Materials

University Of Toledo, Toledo OH

Investigators

Abstract

This award from the Division of Chemistry (CHE) and the Division of Materials Research (DMR) supports a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site led by Timothy Mueser at University of Toledo for three summers, commencing in 2010. The site will support ten students per summer in a ten week program. The research projects focus on research in the chemical and materials sciences with an emphasis on structure determination. Sample projects include: (1) the study of oxidative nucleic acid damage; (2) the study of ionic liquid and polysaccharide interactions; (3) the powder diffraction studies of negative thermal expansion materials; (4) the x-ray crystallographic study of persistence factors in Mycobacterium tuberculosis; (5) the x-ray crystallographic study of the molecular clocks involved in maintaining circadian rhythms ; (6) the low-resolution scattering studies of protein-DNA complexes; (7) the x-ray and neutron diffraction studies of lipoxygenase complexes; (8) the study of interesting colloidal nanostructures; (9) the x-ray and neutron scattering studies of macromolecules and macromolecular complexes; and (10) the mass spectrometric study of proteins to investigate the evolution of protein structure, conformational dynamics and post-translational modification. In addition to conducting research during the summer, the students participating in this program will participate in site visits (e.g. the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory), and a variety of professional development activities. Students will be recruited regionally, and four student positions are being reserved from partner institutions with large populations of students from underrepresented groups. Young scientists need exposure to modern research methods and tools as part of their training. This REU site aims to provide practical, hands-on research training in structure determination methods to a significant number of students who might not otherwise have this opportunity. The possible projects span a wide range of topics in current chemical and materials research, from investigations of new kinds of materials with technologically-useful properties to studies of the molecular mechanisms of biological processes. The REU students participating in University of Toledo's REU site will receive excellent training on state-of-the-art equipment in Toledo as well as at some of the country's premier national laboratories. Students participating in research at this site will be well-prepared for graduate school, and eventual employment as part of the country's technical workforce. Many of the student participants will come from groups traditionally underrepresented in the chemical sciences.