REU Site in Interdisciplinary Materials Research

Southern Illinois University At Carbondale, Carbondale IL

Investigators

Abstract

NON-TECHNICAL PART: The REU Site at Southern Illinois University Carbondale will provide research opportunities for an average of 14 undergraduates per year (including 2 supported internally) for a 9 week period each summer. Students will be involved in interdisciplinary projects in the broadly defined area of materials research. Inclusion of faculty mentors from various disciplines (Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, Microbiology, and the Materials Technology Center) will enable the REU students to develop skills needed to excel in both academic and industrial research environments, where interdisciplinary teams are standard and researchers must communicate effectively across disciplines. Students will also be required to think about the application of their research to new technologies and the manufacturing of new devices, and they will have the opportunity to present their results to a diverse audience. Primary goals of the site include: (1) creating a positive image of science and engineering as a career choice, (2) providing a nurturing environment and instilling a sense of confidence in the art of discussing and practicing science, (3) improving the participants' oral and written communication skills, (4) teaching of basic research tools, including literature searches and the operation of modern instrumentation, (5) fostering a collaborative teamwork approach to research, and (6) increasing the number of domestic students, especially those from underrepresented groups, who choose to pursue STEM careers. A detailed assessment plan will evaluate the success of the activity. TECHNICAL PART: The Site will recruit primarily from 2 and 4-year institutions residing in neighboring states or the Mississippi Delta region, and from those institutions with traditionally high enrollments of students from underrepresented groups. Students participating in the Site will learn to network with other scientists and engineers through various social activities including weekly lunches with faculty mentors and weekend trips to cultural, industrial, and recreational locations. The available mentored research projects promise to be excellent training grounds for working in materials and related fields. Students will be exposed to a variety of transformative projects at the forefront of science and engineering, including: (1) studies related to the synthesis of advanced functional materials (graphene, two-dimensional layered chalcogenides, metal oxide nanowires and functionalized structures, inorganic heterostructures, nanocomposites, nanoscale catalysts, novel electron-accepting materials, electrospun nanofibers, etc.), (2) materials characterization (via electron microscopies, solid- and solution-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, low-temperature electronic, optical/magnetic transport measurements, ultraviolet/visible/infrared spectroscopies, etc.), (3) theoretical/computational studies (wherein students will learn how to study materials via density functional theory calculations, molecular dynamics simulations, etc.), and (4) materials applications varying from energy storage and photovoltaics, to biosensors and nanoparticle-based antigen-delivery vehicles.