REU Site: Integrated Optics for Undergraduate Native Americans (IOU-NA)

University Of Arizona, Tucson AZ

Investigators

Abstract

This three year Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site Program, Integrated Optics for Undergraduate Native Americans (IOU-NA) hosted by the University of Arizona (UA), Engineering Research Center (ERC), Center for Integrated Access Networks (CIAN) will provide a research experience and supporting activities focused on optics and photonics, as well as environmental sciences, to primarily Native American students from institutions with limited research opportunities. CIAN's research addresses optical communication systems, photonic subsystems and devices, and optical materials, which in the future will become as pervasive as electronic technology. Keeping the U.S. in an information technology leadership position will require developing high-density, integrated optoelectronic systems that extend the capabilities of the current fiber network core. The research projects selected for this program have the potential to advance the fields of optical sciences and environmental sciences across the United States. Activities in the IOU-NA have been specifically developed based on research for retaining Native American students in STEM majors, and encouraging them to pursue graduate studies in science and engineering. There is a critical need for Native Americans to positively view the impact science and technology have on their lives, as their land is often located on or surrounding natural resources. This program is specifically designed to increase REU participants' awareness of the impacts optics and other STEM concepts have on U.S. communities, particularly Native American communities, so that they can return to their home-institutions and lands as leaders and mentors to others. The University of Arizona will host 10 undergraduate students for a 10 week summer program which will provide students an opportunity to join research teams working on improved fiber optics, waveguide materials, short-pulsed lasers, and nanofabrication, among other cutting edge topics. The IOU-NA site is a multidisciplinary REU that will provide participants the opportunity to work with faculty mentors on research being conducted at the American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics (AIM) and the NSF Engineering Research Center for Integrated Access Networks (CIAN). The research activities will be supplemented through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Consortium (UROC) which will provide professional development and graduate preparation workshops. This program's recruitment plan addresses Native American students who likely face significant barriers to graduate studies in engineering. The IOU-NA program prepares students for the challenges of modern engineering by providing a series of training activities and workshops that deliver information and strategies for success in STEM careers and education, practice in communicating the application and motivation of their research projects, encouraging ambition to publish and share research at conferences, and encouraging students to share these developed skill sets within their tribal and urban communities. The intended impact of this program is to encourage underrepresented, early-academic career students to expand their research capabilities and become independent researchers under the guidance of a faculty mentor, with the targeted outcome being their pursuit of STEM graduate studies.