REU Site: Combining Career Preparation with Environmental Research in Chemistry, Physics and Materials Science at the University of Oregon

University Of Oregon Eugene, Eugene OR

Investigators

Abstract

This award from the Division of Chemistry (CHE) at the National Science Foundation supports a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site led by Professor Geraldine Richmond at the University of Oregon. This Research Experience for Undergraduates in Chemistry and Physics program combines a cutting edge interdisciplinary research experience with career building and mentoring activities that provide a robust research experience for the undergraduate participants. The experience will also involve professional skills training workshops to help the students in future career success in the next stage of their education, and/or their first full employment opportunity. This REU Program has been continually funded by the National Science Foundation since 1987 and has a 90% success rate of REU students going on to graduate school, over 60% have been women, URM groups comprise almost 40%. The 10 students per year selected for participation in this program over the summer months will be primarily from undergraduate institutions that do not have the resources to provide an undergraduate experience. The faculty involved with this interdisciplinary REU program come from chemistry, physics and materials science fields, allowing students to cross the traditional academic boundaries and giving them an advantage that is not often found in other programs. The projects are carefully selected to match with the students' interests. Examples of the projects include using environmentally friendly organic and inorganic synthetic methods to develop "greener" materials through organic/inorganic synthetic methods, the preparation and characterization of solar energy materials, the study of the assembly of chemical dispersants at oil-water interfaces, the examination of toxic metal remediation through supramolecular chemistry and the basics of computer modeling methods. The broader impact of this project is that it will increase the numbers and potential career success of many science undergraduate students from underrepresented groups and those from predominately undergraduate institutions by giving them the opportunity to do hands-on research, to learn to use state-of-the-art instrumentation and exposure to research at a research university.