REU Site: Summer Research in Physics at the University of Arkansas

University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville AR

Investigators

Abstract

NON-TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: The Physics research experience for undergraduates (REU) Site at the University of Arkansas continues to provide exciting research opportunities to students, mostly from, but not limited to, undergraduate institutions in the Ozark region and surrounding states with limited or no infrastructure to support undergraduate research. Each year, a diverse group of students including women and underrepresented minorities are targeted for recruiting. The success with this aspect is assured by a network of faculty and alumni contacts at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and institutions with significant Native American and Hispanic populations, and the University's infrastructure for minority recruiting. Additionally, a few students who may have not performed well in courses, but show indication of originality and creativity, are included. The selected students participate in experimental and theoretical research projects in nanoscale materials, condensed matter, soft matter, biophysics, photonics, lasers, and quantum optics. They acquire skills and practices essential to scientific problem solving and for working in a collaborative environment through mentoring from faculty, post-doctoral scholars, and senior graduate students. They visit high-tech industries, participate in professional development activities that include weekly seminars, workshops on laboratory safety, library database searches, graduate school applications, oral and written communications skills, a participatory scientific ethics course, and social/cultural activities with other REU groups. The evaluation process incorporates both direct measures of student success and indirect measures (student, mentor, alumni survey) of learning and achievements to provide guidance to continually upgrade the REU program and broaden its impact. Many participants in the REU site continue with graduate studies or find employment directly after graduation in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) fields. TECHNICAL DETAILS: The REU participants work on carefully chosen research projects on topics of current interest such as properties of nanoscale materials, thermal motion of free standing grapheme using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), atomically thin material quantum devices, solid-state nanopore fabrication for detection of DNA, phase transition in two dimensional atomic materials beyond graphene, light-quantum dot interaction, lasers, structured light beams, quantum correlations in light, super-resolution fluorescence microscopy, and statistical and nonlinear physics of extremophiles and the brain. Through engagement with their research projects for ten weeks, the participants receive technical training in using the state of the art instruments, and computational and analytical research techniques. They experience the creative process involved in scientific research starting from the formulation of a problem to its solution, the ups and downs, and the eventual thrill of a new discovery. At the end of the summer, students present their research at a REU symposium. Many go on to present the results of their research at national/international scientific conferences and publish papers based on their work in scientific research journals. Each REU participant leaves having acquired technical skills in the use of advanced scientific instruments and softer skills to be a productive member of the nation's scientific and technical 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.