REU Site: Multidisciplinary Physics at Purdue University

Purdue University, West Lafayette IN

Investigators

Abstract

This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) and Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) site will provide 12 undergraduate physics majors from across the country with a ten-week long research project emphasizing one-to-one mentoring with faculty from a wide range of disciplines within the Purdue University Department of Physics. Interactions with the community of scientists is emphasized with a unique interdisciplinary science seminar series, two required public talks on their research, an abstract on the research, tours of Purdue scientific facilities, including the unique Brick nanotechnology center, field trips to national facilities at Fermilab and Argonne, REU Olympics at Notre Dame University, plus picnics, ball games, canoe trips and other social activities arranged by this REU program and the university-wide SROP program. The weekly seminar initiated and hosted by the Physics Department combines Physics REU participants with students from other Purdue summer sites (REU & SURF at Biology, Chemistry, Engineering etc.) to emphasize interdisciplinary opportunities and interactions among students across many fields. Similar objectives are designed for two RET participants, whose research activities will be reflected in their subsequent classroom teaching, inspiring their own students about careers in research. The participants in this REU/RET program will collaborate with their mentors and other researchers to advance diverse state-of-the-art areas of physics, such as: nanophysics of electrons in reduced dimensional conductors, dynamical behavior in proteins, quantum mechanisms of photosynthesis, single molecule/protein dynamic imaging, the use of cosmogenic nuclei as chronometers in geoscience, coherent imaging of tumors, particle detectors with improved hardness and resolution, detectors for TeV radiation, investigation of dark matter, novel application of nuclear detectors for sensing hazardous materials, properties of graphene, application of biofilms in seismic measurements, the fundamental nature of nuclear decay, enhanced long-baseline imaging for radio astronomy, seismic propagation in structures of geologic interest, the quantum nature of bird magnetoreception, analysis of data collected at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, and other current topics of importance. 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.