REU/RET Site: Spectroscopy at Coe College

Coe College, Cedar Rapids IA

Investigators

Abstract

Coe College’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site provides ten undergraduate students with the opportunity to carry out summer research with a focus on Spectroscopy. These undergraduate students are involved in all aspect of research activity, from making samples to carrying out measurements, interpreting the results, and presenting their work to others. The goal is to allow the students to experience the day-to-day life of a working research scientist, and to inspire a lifelong passion for a scientific career. This site also includes a Research Experiences for Teachers (RET), where each summer two high school teachers participate in a research project. The teachers will use their experience to develop additions to the course curriculum, motivate their students to better understand the physical world by sharing their experience on scientific research, and ultimately prepare them to become the future generation of scientists. The REU students will carry out research in glass science, optics, particle physics, molecular biology, applied data science (as applied to NMR analysis), detector modeling, biomaterials, and other areas. In addition to the research work, the REU participants will also present their work at local, regional, national and international conferences. New activities during this cycle include (a) a new Workshop on the use of machine learning and AI tools in spectroscopy, which also extends the REU site to Coe’s Data Science program; (b) the involvement of Purdue's Center for Intercultural Learning, Mentorship, Assessment, and Research (CILMAR) for the training of faculty and students; and (c) the addition of student journaling. The participants will be exposed and trained in a variety of techniques, including FTIR, Raman, NMR, SEM, absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies, SPM, x-ray fluorescence, calorimetry, impedance spectrometry, and others. The large (and growing) variety of projects is designed to be suitable for undergraduates, but also challenging and leading to results of interest to external researchers. In one project, for instance, the REU student will manufacture high-electronic conductivity glasses for use in particle detectors. In another project on biomaterials, the REU student will use confocal microscopy to look at biofilms, looking at the cell distribution within the film. 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.