REU Site: Materials Connection (MacReu R'Side)

University Of California-Riverside, Riverside CA

Investigators

Abstract

This Site is jointly funded by the Divisions of Chemistry and Materials Research in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) Directorate. NON-TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: This REU Site offers undergraduate students from diverse background experience in research labs that target the preparation, characterization and application of thin-film materials in a wide range of fields including chemical catalysis, electronic devices and medical implants. The REU students join research groups from chemistry, physics, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, bioengineering and chemical engineering, reflecting the broad importance of thin film materials. Participating students gain hands-on experience in laboratory techniques for making and analyzing advanced materials; they also receive guidance toward transfers from 2-year to 4-year colleges, training towards the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), and expert support in planning potential graduate careers. REU recruits actively from 2-year and 4-year institutions, including many Hispanic Serving Institutions, in Southern California. Besides providing REU students with exciting research experience, this project creates an outreach team that presents seminars at their home colleges, actively promotes science and engineering education to their peers, and aids in recruiting the next year's REU cohort. This Site is located in the US Metro Area (Riverside/San-Bernardino) that has the lowest fraction of college graduates in the population (according to the US Census) – rendering such outreach particularly impactful. TECHNICAL DETAILS: This REU Site offers students hands-on experience in experimental techniques associated with the preparation and characterization of thin film and 2D-materials. Thin films and 2D materials play crucial roles in a wide spectrum of technologies, from activating catalysts for crude oil refining to next generation microelectronic devices and medical implants. REU students are trained in facilities in semiconductor cleanroom processing, electron microscopy, and chemical analysis techniques such as Raman and infrared spectroscopy. Through their interaction and weekly seminars, students gain a broad understanding of the importance of thin films in a wide spectrum of industries and potential career pathways. This project also generates quantitative and qualitative measures of the success of the REU site including actionable and unbiased evaluation of the educational concept and effectiveness. 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.