REU Site: Practices and Perspectives in Nanoscience and Chemical Biology

Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond VA

Investigators

Abstract

This Research Experiences for Undergraduates site award to Virginia Commonwealth University, located in Richmond, VA, supports the training of 8 students for 11 weeks during the summers of 2019-2021. In this program, funded by the Division of Chemistry in the Mathematical and Physical Science Directorate, Professors Indika Arachchige and Suzanne Ruder and colleagues in the Department of Chemistry host an REU site with a focus on nanoscience and chemical biology. The undergraduate participants engage in practical training in research techniques (practices) with career preparation and scientific awareness activities (perspectives) in chemistry. The participants take part in research projects ranging from catalysis to the study of protein-protein interactions to biomolecule design. Alongside research, training in professionalism, ethics, and career planning continues throughout the summer with weekly lunch meetings, seminars, and workshops. Participants also have the opportunity to tour a local pharmaceutical facility (Pfizer) and participate in mock interviews and panel discussions with industrial scientists, introducing them to varied aspects of real-world positions in the chemistry profession. With existing faculty contacts from participants' institutions and use of social media, participants establish mentoring relationships which also help to gauge the impact of the REU on each participants' career path. The research projects available for participants include development of novel inorganic materials for catalysis, sensing and imaging; single molecule techniques to understand protein-protein interactions; novel chemical gradients for separation science; redox-active covalent organic frameworks for energy storage; and rationally designed biomolecules for therapeutics. Participants are introduced to the fundamentals of highly interdisciplinary nanoscience and chemical biology concepts through first-hand experience conducting research, providing them a unique training and specific technical expertise not generally obtained in undergraduate labs. Participants are particularly recruited from primarily undergraduate institutions and historically black colleges and universities, providing research experiences to participants who may not otherwise have access. The broader impacts of these endeavors are that the participants will have a unique opportunity to learn nanoscience and chemical biology concepts and take the new knowledge back to their institutions, while promoting a diverse scientific workforce. 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.