REU Site: Broadening participation in undergraduate research in physics: A multi-institutional REU program

Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

NON-TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION The REU site in the School of Physics at Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) enrolls undergraduate students in an immersive summer research experience that provides participants with insights into physics research and encouragement to embark on graduate study. In keeping with the nation's interests in creating a highly-trained, diverse workforce in the STEM disciplines, a partnership between Georgia Tech and the institutions in the Atlanta University Center (AUC) provides an opportunity to recruit and train a diverse group of participants from across the nation. Other components of the site include team-building activities, regular group meetings, a research seminar series, a workshop series (e.g., ethics, presentation skills, graduate opportunities), undergraduate research symposia, and field trips to industrial and/or government laboratories. TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION Undergraduates will participate in an array of projects in physics, ranging from atomic, molecular and optical physics to condensed matter physics; from biophysics to astrophysics; and from condensed matter to computational physics. The program seeks to enhance interactions between Georgia Tech and the AUC and thereby enhance the capacity for research at predominantly undergraduate minority-serving institutions. Undergraduate summer projects are designed to give the participants maximum flexibility in their experimental approach and to foster development of a beginning researcher into an independent investigator.