REU Site:Interdisciplinary Research Experience on Decarbonization: Path to 2035

University Of California-Irvine, Irvine CA

Investigators

Abstract

This REU Site offers a nine-week interdisciplinary summer program related to sustainable energy pathways in the Schools of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). The REU students will be exposed to comprehensive decarbonization research topics and learn interdisciplinary approaches to tackle the science and engineering challenges of achieving net-zero carbon emissions. The program will support ten non-UCI undergraduate students each year for the three-year program. Students will mainly be recruited from underrepresented groups and diverse backgrounds. They will participate in workshops, i.e., Strength Finder Workshop, Career Development Workshops, Research Methodologies Workshop, to develop research, leadership, career development, and team-building skills. Through the proposed experimental and modeling studies in this program, the students will impact society by contributing to research conducted to achieve zero-net carbon emissions. The three-year REU program at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) will expose the students to research and training opportunities in highly challenging decarbonization technologies. The ten students per year students will address fundamental questions across a broad range of disciplines and applications related to decarbonization routes, including sustainable hydrogen production, energy storage, use of efficient fuel cells, electrochemical and thermochemical production of high-value chemicals, advanced nuclear fuel cycle, and waste management; novel functionalized nanomaterials and complex oxides for carbon dioxide and proton reduction, efficient radiofrequency heat delivery, advanced combustion technologies and use of renewable hydrogen in gas turbines and internal combustion engines. This REU site will provide a collaborative research platform for undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty to address challenges associated with decarbonization. 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.