REU Site: Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology

Duke University, Durham NC

Investigators

Abstract

This three-year REU Site program will be part of the Center for the Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (CEINT) headquartered at Duke University. It will be hosted by three CEINT partner universities; Duke, Virginia Tech, and Carnegie Mellon as well as the European Center for Research and Education in Geosciences and the Environment (CEREGE) in Aix-en-Provence, France. An Orientation will be held at Duke in week one prior to participants transitioning to their respective research site. In order for students to gain optimal benefits from the multiple research disciplines and research available through such a Center, participants will continue their communications initiated during Orientation through weekly cross-site videoconferencing and via the online collaboratory offered by the REU Site. The REU program will leverage training activities established within CEINT such as seminars, ongoing colloquia and weekly research team meetings and provide in-depth training in the scientific method, data analysis, and professional presentations. The program objectives include: (1) encouraging a diverse group of students towards careers in emerging fields in science and engineering related to nanotechnology research; (2 ) increasing student awareness of the ethical context of nanotechnology research and the importance of developing nanotechnology in an environmentally responsible manner; and (3) facilitation a comprehensive understanding of the complex, evolving parameters emerging as factors mitigating environmental impacts of nanomaterials at the cellular, organismic and ecosystem levels. In addition students will have the opportunity to learn to use cutting-edge lab and imaging technologies for identifying nanoparticle fate, transport, and structural behaviors through the rich array of lab facilities and field sites available through CEINT. It will also feature a unique, interdisciplinary team approach to mentoring students on research projects across themes designed to link fundamental physical and chemical properties of nanomaterials at the nanoscale with their observed biological and ecosystem effects. Student opportunities will be available across six nanoscale research themes: Exposure: Transport & Transformation; Cellular and Organismal Responses; Impacts on Ecosystems; Manufactured Nanomaterials; Natural and Incidental Nanoparticles; and Risk Assessment and Modeling. REU students will learn how risk assessment provides feedback to guide future research and will learn about evolving parameters considered important for comparative international studies in nanotechnology. This program will expand CEINT's programs for undergraduates across three US universities and in France, creating trans-university and international opportunities for undergraduate students in the sciences and engineering. Recruitment efforts will be targeted to students from underrepresented groups, particularly females and minorities and from institutions with limited research opportunities. The REU program seeks to inspire undergraduate students to pursue graduate education and future careers in emerging fields in environmental science and engineering as well as nanotechnology research.