REU Site: Polymer Science and Engineering at The University of Akron

University Of Akron, Akron OH

Investigators

Abstract

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY The vision of the REU site at the University of Akron (UA-REU), which was initiated in 2004, is to be a nurturing academic environment for undergraduate exploration, education and research. It will focus on the training of 12 NSF-supported undergraduate students each summer in the area of Polymer Science and Engineering. The site will expose students to exciting cutting edge polymer education and research, thus initiating the training of the next generation of the scientific workforce needed to fuel innovation in the United States. The faculty participants mentor the REU students through a multidimensional approach involving fundamentals of polymers, professional development, and development of research skillsets. First, instruction in the fundamentals of Polymer Science and Engineering will be provided to the students. Second, the faculty participants will impart to the REU students the scientific and engineering skills required for research and innovation. Third, the students will be exposed to a wide variety of educational, research and career opportunities through a professional development series featuring four panel discussions on career directions and ethics, as well as industrial visits to NASA, Goodyear and other local companies, government laboratories, and hospitals. All research activities will be integrated with career panels, seminars, and industrial visits aligned with the overarching goals of the site. The educational components include an intensive one-week series of lectures delineating the fundamentals of Polymer Science and Engineering and a faculty research seminar series. The multiple student-led presentations are designed to develop solid communication skills for the effective oral dissemination of their research results. This experience is expected to stir enthusiasm for STEM disciplines, and increase the retention and promotion of traditional, underrepresented and low-income students in Mathematics, Engineering and Science, and in particular Polymer Science and Engineering. TECHNICAL SUMMARY The REU site at the University of Akron will focus on the training of 12 NSF-supported and also several industrial supported undergraduate students for 11 weeks each summer in the general area of Polymer Science and Engineering. The site will be a nurturing interdisciplinary academic environment for undergraduate research and professional development designed towards enabling student excellence in graduate studies and future research careers in STEM disciplines. The REU students will be exposed to interdisciplinary research projects that emphasize problems at the frontiers of polymer science and engineering and that are specifically designed for undergraduate students with limited research experience. Activities associated with the UA-REU are designed to broaden the students' knowledge of polymers and comprehension of the societal implications of their research. Research projects involving REU students will cover the breadth of Polymer Science and Engineering in four generalized cluster areas: Chemistry, Physics, Engineering and Biomaterials. Such projects include, but are not limited to, synthesis of advanced polymer materials (such as biodegradable nanofiber scaffolds, ionically crosslinked polymers, antimicrobial polymers, multi-functional hydrogels); materials fabrication for energy storage and water purification (such as solid electrolyte membranes, hybrid hierarchical noble metals, composite nanofibers); structural and dynamic characterization (through solid- and solution-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), mass spectroscopy, small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM)); computer-based design of materials through molecular dynamics (MD) simulations). At the conclusion of the program, students will present their research work at a joint symposium with Case Western Reserve University, NASA, and Kent State University.