REU Site: Environmental Focus in Food, Energy and Water Security

Mississippi State University, Mississippi State MS

Investigators

Abstract

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). This REU Sites award to Mississippi State University (MSU), located in Starkville, MS, will support ten students for ten weeks of research over the summers of 2023-2025. This site will introduce undergraduate scientists to the multidisciplinary areas found at the intersection of bio-products for water, energy and soil systems. Instrumentation exposure and training will engage students in the excitement of science, train students with practical skills that can translate toward employment or graduate school, and aid students in developing analysis and critical thinking skills. Seminars and educational activities will offer students support for developing writing and presentation skills, individual career analysis and possible career opportunities within STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields. The research environment and career planning offered within this experience will support and develop participants, encouraging students to pursue careers within chemical fields and to self-identify as scientists. The collaborative research projects at the nexus of Engineering, Chemistry and Environmental Science will support student engagement in Food, Energy, and Water security and encourage entrepreneurial thinking for future careers. Undergraduate students will join labs of MSU faculty who are actively engaged and publish in related research areas, including: (1) the conversion of both biomass and energy crops into biofuels, (2) the utilization of biochar (a biofuel production byproduct) for the purification of water, and (3) the enhancement of food security through soil amendment. Outside of the lab, training in entrepreneurship and other professional skills will help to develop well rounded students experienced in interdisciplinary chemical research. This site will also recruit a highly diverse cohort of students, diversifying the STEM pipeline and future 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.