REU Site: Research in Chemistry at West Virginia University

West Virginia University Research Corporation, Morgantown WV

Investigators

Abstract

This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site award to West Virginia University, located in Morgantown, WV, supports the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2019-2021. This program, funded by the Division of Chemistry in the Mathematical and Physical Science Directorate, engages participants in research centered on the chemistry of health. These projects focus on the potential of research to benefit society both directly and indirectly in the fields of health care, forensics/criminology, energy, and sustainability. Alongside research, this program features an extensive training program, which includes training in the research process and cutting-edge scientific instrumentation, laboratory safety, scientific ethics, scientific communication, and strategies for effective collaboration. Participants also perform scientific outreach activities at the Shack Neighborhood House to strengthen local Appalachian youths' enthusiasm for science. Through this REU program, participants discover how their research efforts can benefit society both directly and indirectly, resulting in a workforce more aware of the value of scientific research. The participants' research projects focus on solving fundamental scientific problems related to the chemistry of health. These projects include the development of sustainability in chemistry through the synthesis of pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals using earth-abundant transition metal catalysts. Participants carry out their research in collaboration with faculty and graduate students and are trained on modern scientific equipment and/or in the use of high-performance computing resources and computational chemistry/biophysics software. This program recruits students from primarily undergraduate institutions and community colleges, especially women, underrepresented minorities, first generation college students, U.S. Armed Forces veterans and persons from economically depressed areas (e.g., Appalachia). Involvement can improve the likelihood that participants enroll in graduate-level training in chemistry or a related discipline, thereby improving the 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.