REU Site: Summer Undergraduate Research Opportunity in Chemistry (SUROC) at UNC Chapel Hill

University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC

Investigators

Abstract

This Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is located in Chapel Hill, NC. It supports the training of 29 students in total for 10 weeks during the summers of 2019-2021. The principal investigators are Gerald Meyer and Leslie Hicks. This site is supported by the Division of Chemistry in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate. Students engage in a diverse set of research projects in chemistry, ranging from catalysis to solar energy conversion. Alongside hands-on research, students also participate in learning modules on ethics, communication, and entrepreneurship that includes site visits to a large industrial company and a small startup company in the Research Triangle Park of North Carolina. Taking part in cutting-edge research and tailored learning modules, students gain an appreciation for the subtleties of fundamental chemistry research and are in a position to make informed decisions about their career path. Students with limited access to research opportunities are especially recruited. The participants benefit from mentors who are international leaders in their field and work in state-of the art facilities on topical problems with far-reaching impact in chemistry. The participants engage in cutting edge research and have the opportunity to make meaningful contributions in projects related to catalysis, polymer design and synthesis, solar energy conversion, redox biology, and nanotechnology. Through mentoring and peer interaction, students gain skills in efficient and effective use of scientific research tools, critical reading of scientific literature, design and implementation of experiments, and in written and oral communication for various audiences. Completion of this program enhances the research and mentoring experiences for undergraduate students who may not otherwise have such an opportunity. 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.