Award Abstract # 1460704
REU Site: Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Reconfigurable and Multifunctional Soft Materials at UPRM

NSF Org: DMR
Division Of Materials Research
Recipient: UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO
Initial Amendment Date: March 9, 2015
Latest Amendment Date: March 9, 2015
Award Number: 1460704
Award Instrument: Standard Grant
Program Manager: Lynnette Madsen
lmadsen@nsf.gov  (703)292-4936
DMR  Division Of Materials Research
MPS  Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Start Date: March 15, 2015
End Date: February 28, 2018 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $275,000.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $275,000.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2015 = $275,000.00
History of Investigator:
  • Ubaldo Cordova (Principal Investigator)
     ubaldom.cordova@upr.edu
  • Patricia Ortiz-Bermudez (Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez
 259 BLVD ALFONSO VALDES
 MAYAGUEZ
 PR  US  00680-6475
(787)831-2065
Sponsor Congressional District: 00
Primary Place of Performance: University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez
 PR  US  00681-9000
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:		 00
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): GZRNJ1GZDBM1
Parent UEI: RD8QJEHNYLJ7
NSF Program(s): OFFICE OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY AC,
XC-Crosscutting Activities Pro
Primary Program Source: 01001516DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s): 1711, 9150, 9178, 9250
Program Element Code(s): 125300, 722200
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.049

ABSTRACT

NON-TECHNICAL PART: The Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) in Reconfigurable and Multifunctional Soft Materials (RMSM) at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez (UPRM) will fund 10 undergraduate students for a 10-week summer research and educational experience. Students will be recruited primarily from schools that cannot provide them with opportunities for STEM research and will focus on promoting a vibrant, top-notch research culture by showcasing meritorious local scientists while strengthening partnerships with world-class research institutions. REU programs, in general, are designed to advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training, and learning through hands on research and educational experiences for undergraduates. The RMSM REU program will continue fostering this legacy and will help students to strengthen their scientific communication skills through a series of seminars that focus on professional development. They will have the opportunity to learn a second language and immerse themselves in a different culture, while participating in exciting research. Finally, the participants will help to broaden dissemination to the next generation of researchers through participation in the UPRM Science on Wheels program and :"Ciencia Puerto Rico" website.

TECHNICAL PART: The RMSM REU will contribute to the pool of underrepresented scientists, inspiring young students to enter disciplines with transformative potential, such as finding methods to develop smart soft materials for new consumer products and biomedical applications. Students will conduct individual research projects in the development and characterization of soft materials and their ability to respond away from equilibrium. Knowledge in this area will open doors in a broad range of scientific disciplines, which encompass the major challenges in the development of novel materials. The chosen projects are relevant to ongoing research at UPRM yet were selected because they are suitable for an REU participant to make unique contributions during a summer session.

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH

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Castilla Casadiego D., Ramos Avilez H. V., Herrera-Posada S., Calcagno B., Loyo L., Shipmon J., Acevedo A., Quintana A., Almodovar J. "Engineering of a stable collagen nanofibrous scaffold with tunable fiber diameter, alignment, and mechanical properties" Macromolecular Materials and Engineering , v.301 , 2016 , p.1064
C. Mora-Navarro, J. Caraballo-León, M. Torres-Lugo, and P. Ortiz-Bermúdez "Synthetic antimicrobial ?-peptide in dual treatment with fluconazole or ketoconazole enhances the in vitro inhibition of planktonic and biofilm Candida albicans" Journal of Peptide Science , 2015
Nobel O. Sierra-Vega, Adriluz Sánchez-Paternina, Nadja Maldonado, Vanessa Cárdenas, Rodolfo J. Romañach, and Rafael Méndez "In line monitoring of the powder flow behavior and drug content in a Fette 3090 feed frame at different operating conditions using Near Infrared spectroscopy" Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis , v.154 , 2018 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpba.2018.03.017

PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT

Disclaimer

This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.

 

Over the past three years, the Research Experiences for Undergraduates Site in Reconfigurable and Multifunctional Soft Materials (RMSM) at the University of Puerto Rico - Mayagüez (UPRM) supported 34 students (50% male; 50% female; 58% from underrepresented groups) that were selected from a total of 367 applications (Y1: 80; Y2: 160; Y3: 127). The program supported students from 23 different institutions including non-research intensive colleges. In addition, 3 students affiliated with the program were supported by other sources. At UPRM, 21 professors from engineering, chemistry, physics, and biology participated as mentors in the REU program. Similarly, 31 graduate students and two postdoctoral fellows were actively involved in the REU activities. An Undergraduate Experience Survey was used to collect student opinions and assessment of the activities throughout the summer. Results indicate that on average the students rated their gains as “good” and “great” in both professional skills and the ability to apply their knowledge to research. All the students reported having gained confidence (an increase of more than 20%) as a result of participating in the program in items such as stating a hypothesis, data analysis, writing a research paper, and communicating their research to the public. The scientific activities carried out during the summer had a positive impact on the desire of the students to pursue graduate studies. In fact, 80% of the students that answered a post REU survey expressed that their REU experience had a “good-great” weight in their decision to attend graduate school. A significant number of students expressed their willingness to consider the UPRM for graduate studies as a result of this REU experience as well.

The program supported successfully the pipeline for the development of scientists in STEM. Graduate students, early-, and mid-career professors were mentors as well as veteran professors. Pre-faculty mentors were given a series of workshops grouped under the topic “Entering Mentoring” to enhance their mentoring skills. The REU provided research and professional development opportunities for students from institutions with limited research infrastructure while supporting the research activity and culture of the UPRM. Remarkably, as a result of this REU experience a critical mass for the establishment of a soft matter research community was reached. New faculty members joined the efforts of the REU, expanding the scope of the community in our institution. Currently, a list of 18 scientists can be found in “The Soft Matter Collective” website (softmatter.uprm.edu). It is noteworthy that the REU Site linked through the soft matter website received more than 8,000 visits since its construction. This tool offers a great platform and nucleation point for the development of a productive and collaborative network of diverse researchers.

 


Last Modified: 05/20/2018
Modified by: Ubaldo M Cordova

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