REU Site program Explore it! Building the Next Generation of Sustainable Forest Bioproduct Researchers.

University Of Maine, Orono ME

Investigators

Abstract

This REU Site Program, "Explore it! Building the Next Generation of Sustainable Forest Bioproduct Researchers" at the University of Maine, Forest Bioproducts Research Institute (FBRI) aims for participants to develop and utilize new knowledge to address forest bioproduct issues impacting society in an ethical manner. The REU Site recruits underrepresented undergraduate students through extensive use of existing linkages with primarily minority serving institutions. Results are disseminated via campus and international presentations, and through journal articles and symposia. REU students work alongside middle-school teachers creating curricular modules to teach STEM principles to middle school children employing the concept of sustainable forest bioproducts as a vehicle. Participants present to, and interact with FBRI faculty, thereby broadening both the faculty member's and their personal experiences. Society benefits as the participants: disseminate their findings, impact middle school education, obtain a broader understanding of research ethics, and enroll in graduate school to advance their careers. The international scientific community benefits as the REU participants present their findings to our Chilean colleagues, while learning of the parallel research performed at the University of Concepcion. This project is a continuation of a previously funded REU Site and provides 10 undergraduates with a ten-week summer research experience, leveraging the focus areas of the University of Maine's Forest Bioproducts Research Institute (FBRI). Focus on sustainable forest bioproducts is highly topical and is of great global importance in the area of sustainable bioproduct alternatives. Students conduct research advancing their general knowledge of the field and one of the thematic elements, such as: i) sustainability and LCA, ii) feedstock extraction/modification, iii), process control and sensing, iv) nanomaterial production and utilization, and v) new product development. REU funding provides stipends and professional development activities for 30 undergraduates over 3 years. Additional non-NSF REU funded students will also participate, including 6 Chilean students on a mutual exchange with 6 U.S. students, thereby broadening the impact of the program. Students are mentored by one of 12 faculty members, all of whom are senior personnel in the FBRI, or the University of Concepcion-UDT, Chile. The REU program concludes with a forest products industry field trip to Chile and a research conference where participants present their work to Chilean faculty and students. A unique set of evaluation and assessment tools are employed that allow tracking of student performance, thus offering feedback to students and the program. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.