REU Site: Integration of Chemical Theory, Computation and Experiment at Duquesne University

Duquesne University, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site award to Duquesne University, located in Pittsburgh, PA, supports the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2020-2022. Funded by the Division of Chemistry in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate, the Duquesne REU site impacts the education and professional chemistry careers of undergraduates and faculty from Appalachian regional institutions with limited research infrastructure and/or from underrepresented populations. Alongside conducting research that integrates computational and experimental chemistry, students receive training that reinforces the scientific method, scientific writing and speaking, ethics, safety, and workshops on state-of-the-art instrumentation to complement their experimental research. Faculty establish meaningful, year-round, and long-term research collaborations driven by the need for academic productivity and excellence in undergraduate training. Taken together, this REU site promotes collaborative science while training the next generation of chemists. Student research projects include the synthesis of non-addictive analgesics driven by computational prediction; developing theory for asymmetric catalyst design; understanding the wear of protective organic thin films on metals; and studying electron transfer processes in copper complexes. This site also offers research support for PUI/HBCU/LSAMP faculty, who in turn directly impact students and learning environments at their home institutions. Ultimately students expand their professional exposure and network to make more informed career decisions and best prepare for graduate school, while faculty are empowered through meaningful and productive academic collaboration. 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.