REU Site for Nanotechnology in Health, Energy and the Environment

Suny At Stony Brook, Stony Brook NY

Investigators

Abstract

TECHNICAL SUMMARY: Stony Brook University is continuing a ten week multidisciplinary nanotechnology Research Experience for Undergraduates site involving four engineering departments and administered by the University's Center for Inclusive Education. The program integrates individual research projects tailored to each student's interests under the guidance of a faculty mentor with a coordinated group effort to address a specific scientific question or gain maximum insight into the application of nanotechnology and nanomaterials in health, energy and the environment. The laboratories involved provide research experiences for REU interns in all aspects of nanotechnology and nanomaterials development, including polymeric nanostructures for medical applications, batteries, catalytic surfaces for energy and environmental remediation, and development of nanosensors. The site approach integrates a comprehensive graduate education preparation model that has proven to be effective in successful transition of students into competitive graduate programs, and includes development of communication skills, an electronic portfolio created by each intern, and a symposium on the ethical and societal implications of nanotechnology. The site coordinators actively recruit highly qualified students from a diversity of academic backgrounds; promote recruitment at small regional colleges with limited research opportunities; and recruit students from underrepresented groups through contacts at minority serving institutions and through regional conferences. To date, the site has supported 25 students directly over three years, augmented by 10 additional students through supplemental support. Half the REU interns were female and nearly 30% were members of underrepresented minority populations. The project will also include research experiences for two high school teachers who will work side-by-side with the REU interns, and who will translate their experiences into curricula developments and education materials at the high school level. This program gratefully acknowledges support from the Division of Engineering Education and Centers of the National Science Foundation. NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: Conceptually, nanotechnology is a tool. It can make remarkable things happen, but we are just beginning to understand its capabilities, how it works, and its potential impact on our lives and our society, for example in the revolutionary miniaturization of electronics and corresponding expansion of computing power. But it is the new properties and materials being discovered which promise the greatest transformation in areas from medicine to energy to sustaining our environment and economies. While new technologies are today being designed and built to enable us to understand nanoscale phenomena and ultimately to control them, a key challenge is how to inspire and prepare the next generation of scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs and practitioners to make and leverage these discoveries, in a responsible and ethical fashion, for the greater good of society. That is the motivation behind development of the Research Experiences for Undergraduates site in Nanotechnology for Health, Energy and the Environment at Stony Brook University. This program provides a multidisciplinary experience which fully integrates research and education, an approach shown to enhance learning and motivation, as well as enhance recruitment and retention of students from diverse backgrounds. Recruitment of students from underrepresented groups and from a full range of education levels are hallmarks of the proposed program, as they have been through the first three years of the REU site. The project also provides opportunities for the professional development of young faculty in mentorship and leadership, and aids in development of a paradigm for the development of new learning and outreach tools and methods. The project has led to growth in collaborative activity between a research intensive PhD-granting institution and regional community colleges and smaller liberal arts colleges, in turn providing the basis for the development of new programs in research, development of teaching and assessment tools, and creation of new opportunities to enhance education at two year colleges.