Integrated Optics for Undergraduate Native Americans (IOU-NA)

University Of Arizona, Tucson AZ

Investigators

Abstract

TECHNICAL SUMMARY: With the committed support from the Division of Engineering Education and Centers, CIAN's IOU-NA REU program will provide research training for 8 Native American STEM undergraduate students, for 10 weeks during the summers of 2014-2016. CIAN's research addresses photonic materials and devices for optical communication that will be the cornerstone of future Internet technologies. Many leading companies that develop hardware for Internet equipment such as Intel, Cisco, Oracle, Alcatel-Lucent, and Fujitsu are CIAN industrial affiliates with a keen interest to recruit students with these specialized skills. Over a fifteen year horizon, keeping the U.S. as a leader in information technology will require developing dense, integrated optoelectronic systems that extend the capabilities of the current fiber network core while retaining the same cost as today's electronic access network. In addition, entirely new applications for photonics with internet data centers and within the infrastructure of cloud computing are already emerging. IOU-NA students will join experienced CIAN research teams working on improved fiber optics, waveguide materials, short-pulsed lasers, nanofabrication, silicon photonics, and nonlinear photonics, as well as teams in the COS, specifically in the area of Hydrology and Environmental Sciences. This interdisciplinary approach will provide REU participants with a more rounded research experience. The research projects selected for this program have the potential to advance the fields of optical sciences and environmental sciences across the United States. The IOU-NA program prepares students for the challenges of modern engineering by providing a series of trainings and workshops that deliver information and strategies for success in STEM careers and education, practice in communicating the application and motivation of their research projects, and encouraging ambition to publish and share research at conferences, encouraging them to share these developed skill sets within their tribal and urban communities. NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: In 2012, NSF reported that of the nearly 3500 engineering doctorate degrees awarded to U.S. citizens in the United States, fewer than .17 went to Native Americans. It has become increasingly evident that there is an enormous need to support Native Americans pursuing STEM fields, and is aligned with national endeavors to increase and improve STEM education for underrepresented minorities. With only 42% of Native Americans pursuing any form of higher education and only 13% of that number attaining a bachelor's degree or higher, the need for programs to support Native Americans in undergraduate STEM fields is immediate. CIAN's REU, IOU-NA program is an essential step ensuring these students with unique obstacles gain the confidence and tools needed to graduate with STEM bachelor's degrees and pursue graduate degrees. CIAN's current REU program is a proven, multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional program that provides research experiences to undergraduate students, who, without this program, would have minimal alternatives for undergraduate experiences. Adding a Native American focus to CIAN's REU by mentoring 8 students who are either Native American by citizenship or undergraduate students attending an American Indian serving college or university is in line with the priorities of this nation. CIAN's IOU-NA program will increase opportunities for underrepresented minorities to successfully graduate with higher education STEM majors and pursue STEM careers and graduate studies. In addition to participation in cutting-edge research, IOU-NA students will participate in workshops and a STEM Native American speakers series This IOU-NA is one of several education programs that CIAN has developed in an effort to streamline the STEM pipeline for Native American youth.