REU and RET Site in Physics at The University of Texas at Brownsville

The University Of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg TX

Investigators

Abstract

This award supports the continuation of the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site in Physics at the University of Texas Brownsville. The site includes a Research Experience for Teachers (RET) component. The REU and RET site will focus on research in frontier areas of phenomenological, experimental and applied physics at state-of-the-art facilities. The goal is to give students and teachers a research experience in the areas of gravitational wave astronomy, optical astronomy, lasers and photonics, materials science, and/or biophysics that will stimulate students' desire to become scientists and give teachers a better understanding of the process of scientific research. The REU and RET programs include a close mentoring and guidance system from the faculty and program management team, fostering interaction and active participation by students and teachers through seminars, lunch meetings, colloquia, professional development workshops, outreach opportunities, and presentations. In gravitational wave astronomy participants will be given a coherent unified view of the field and will learn the scientific value of both the potential wealth of astrophysical information to be obtained from this new astronomical window and the challenges posed in developing the technological expertise necessary at the instrumental level in opening this new window. In lasers and photonics they will learn of the challenges and promises that this fast evolving discipline holds for new electronics. In biophysics participants will be exposed to state-of-the-art techniques in single molecule spectroscopy and in investigations of the role of amino acids in protein structure and function. In materials science they will learn about thermoelectric materials and their potential use for renewable energy.