IRES: Stockholm Research Experience in Heterogeneous Catalysis

Chapman University, Orange CA

Investigators

Abstract

Science is naturally an international endeavor; however, undergraduate students are often not exposed to this critical aspect early in the scientific careers. Undergraduate students in STEM typically have opportunities to engage in research at their home institutes, participate in local summer research fellowships, and study abroad through campus programs. Despite the abundance of these programs, students rarely get to experience research on an international scale at other research institutions. In collaboration with Stockholm University and the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, undergraduate students from Chapman University and the surrounding culturally diverse Southern California region will have the opportunity to perform research in foreign research labs for 10 weeks during the summer. The learning objectives of the program are to (1) provide transformative international research experiences for undergraduate students, (2) increase student awareness of new research fields, including, heterogeneous catalysis, (3) train the next generation of international researchers, (4) increase the participation of under-represented students in STEM fields, (5) expose students to the benefits of international collaborations, and (6) educate students on Sweden’s long and impactful history in the sciences. These activities will prepare students with the skills needed to be effective and ethical scientific researchers. As the world population continues to rise, novel solutions to global issues, such as climate change, food production, clean energy generation, access to clean water, and pollution control, will need to be developed. Heterogeneous catalysis plays a critical role in combating these challenges, from producing ammonia for fertilizers using the Haber-Bosch process, to synthesizing carbon-neutral fuel with the Fischer-Tropsch process, to reducing pollutants in the air with the catalytic converter in cars. As the urgency of global challenges increases, it becomes increasingly important to train a scientifically literate and technically trained workforce whose backgrounds span multiple disciplines. Students from Chapman University and the surrounding culturally diverse Southern California region will have the opportunity to perform research in foreign research labs at Stockholm University and the KTH Royal Institute of Technology for 10 weeks during the summer. The foreign research mentors use modern surface science techniques and computational methods to collaborate on studying model systems for catalytic tar reforming in biomass gasification. Student scholars will work collaboratively on these projects and gain experience using sophisticated laser systems, working with surface science instruments, analyzing experimental data, performing kinetic modelling, and writing scientific reports. These student scholars will be encouraged to embark on future scientific pursuits, develop skills necessary to ensure success in the STEM fields, and engage in the international cultural exchange of ideas and practices. These are expected to help create a more diverse population of global science-literate citizens to address current and future global challenges. 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.