REU Site: UC Davis Physics

University Of California-Davis, Davis CA

Investigators

Abstract

This award supports the renewal of the Physics Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site at the University of California, Davis. Each year, the REU program will provide twelve students from around the United States an opportunity to participate in a ten-week summer research program. REU students work closely with a faculty mentor on a ten-week research project chosen from a variety of physics subfields. The projects span the subfields of astrophysics, biophysics, complex systems, condensed matter, nuclear and particle physics. Examples of projects include efforts to understand quantum gravity, develop photovoltaics from nanoparticles, investigate dark energy and dark matter, model the workings of Alzheimer's disease, produce medically important radioactive isotopes, and many more. In addition to their specific research project, the students learn from their interactions with faculty, graduate students, and other REU students, and from field trips showing physics-related work in diverse settings. Students will visit facilities such as the McClellan Nuclear Research Center, Lick Observatory, and the Advanced Light Source. At the end of the program, each participant gives a formal research presentation and presents a written project report that can lead to a peer reviewed publication. Taken as a whole, the REU activities teach skills useful for further scientific endeavors, give students a broad perspective on possible future paths, and help them build a network of professional contacts. This award is supported by the Division of Physics and the Division of Materials Research within the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate of the National Science Foundation. 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.