REU Site: UC Davis Physics and Astronomy

University Of California-Davis, Davis CA

Investigators

Abstract

This award is funded in whole (or in part) under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). The award supports the renewal of the Physics Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site at the University of California, Davis. Each year, the REU program will provide twelve (12) students from around the United States an opportunity to participate in a ten-week summer research program. REU students work closely with a faculty mentor on a ten-week research project chosen from a variety of physics subfields. The individual research projects involve cutting-edge research in several physics subfields of astrophysics, biophysics, complex systems, condensed matter, nuclear and particle physics. The students will have opportunities to be part of efforts to develop photovoltaics from nanoparticles, design detectors for new particle accelerators, produce medically important radioactive isotopes, understand quantum gravity, neutron stars, and the origin of galaxies, and many more. The students will directly contribute to the body of knowledge and potential applications that these projects produce. In addition to their specific research project, the students learn from their interactions with faculty, graduate students, and other REU students, and from field trips showing physics-related work in diverse settings. They will also practice important skills including scientific communication, collaboration, and computer programming. Professional development will include information about graduate programs and about physics-related careers with and without graduate degrees. The program targets students from non-research institutions in California, including community colleges, and from four-year colleges nationwide. Taken as a whole, the REU activities teach skills useful for further scientific endeavors, give students a broad perspective on possible future paths, and help them build a network of professional contacts. 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.