| NSF Org: |
DMR Division Of Materials Research |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | March 14, 2012 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | May 23, 2014 |
| Award Number: | 1157058 |
| Award Instrument: | Continuing Grant |
| Program Manager: |
John Schlueter
jschluet@nsf.gov (703)292-7766 DMR Division Of Materials Research MPS Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences |
| Start Date: | May 1, 2012 |
| End Date: | April 30, 2016 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $315,000.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $315,000.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2013 = $105,000.00 FY 2014 = $105,000.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
900 S NORMAL AVE CARBONDALE IL US 62901-4302 (618)453-4540 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
IL US 62901-2586 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | XC-Crosscutting Activities Pro |
| Primary Program Source: |
01001314DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01001415DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.049 |
ABSTRACT
TECHNICAL SUMMARY
This REU site will focus on the training of 14 undergraduate students [(12 x NSF) + (2 x SIUC)] for a 10-week period each summer in the area of materials research, broadly defined. An interdisciplinary team includes faculty mentors in Chemistry, Physics, and Engineering, as well as members of relevant SIUC research centers (e.g. Materials Technology Center and the Center for Advanced Friction Studies). Inclusion of mentors from various disciplines and established multidisciplinary centers will enable the REU students to develop skills needed to excel in both academic and industrial research environments, where interdisciplinary teams are standard and researchers must communicate effectively across disciplines. A detailed assessment plan is utilized to gauge the performance of our program in meeting its defined goals (which include increasing the numbers of US students pursuing careers in STEM fields, particularly from underrepresented groups). The research projects involving the REU student participants are highly interdisciplinary and emphasize materials chemistry and nanotechnology, allowing students to be exposed to projects at the forefront of science and engineering. Such projects include: studies related to synthesis of advanced functional nanomaterials (Carbon nanotubes, graphene, metal oxide nanowires, inorganic heterostructures, polymer thin films/brushes, nanocomposites etc.); materials characterization (for example via electron microscopies, solid- and solution-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, mass spectrometry (e.g. MALDI MS), low-temperature electronic and magnetic transport measurements, UV/Vis/IR/Raman spectroscopies, etc.); theoretical / computational studies (wherein students will learn how to study materials via density functional theory (DFT) calculations, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, etc.); and materials applications related to energy storage, photovoltaics, and tribology (among others). Students will also have opportunities to network with other scientists and engineers through various social activities, and will present their work at a summer research colloquium. This REU Site is made possible through generous support from the Office of Special Programs, Division of Materials Research of the National Science Foundation.
NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY
This REU site will focus on the training of 14 undergraduate students per summer in the area of materials research, broadly defined. Inclusion of mentors from various disciplines and established on-campus multidisciplinary centers will enable the REU students to develop skills needed to excel in both academic and industrial research environments, where interdisciplinary teams are standard and researchers must communicate effectively across disciplines. Students will also be required to think about the application of their research to new technologies and to consider issues related to the manufacturing of new devices. This REU site has six primary goals: 1) to create a positive image of science and engineering as a career choice. Students will leave the program with a greater sense of the trials, tribulations, and rewards that await them; 2) to instill a sense of confidence in the art of discussing and practicing science; 3) to improve their oral and written communication skills; 4) to teach basic research tools, including literature searches and the operation of modern instrumentation; 5) to foster a collaborative teamwork approach to research; and 6) to increase the number of domestic students, especially those from underrepresented groups, who choose to further their careers in science and engineering. A detailed assessment plan is utilized to evaluate the program's success in meeting these goals. Students will also learn to network with other scientists and engineers through various social activities. The research proposed here is highly interdisciplinary and emphasizes materials chemistry and nanotechnology. More generally, research projects within the program are excellent training grounds for chemists, physicists, and engineers working in materials and related fields. SIUC, the host institution of this REU Site, is committed to involving underrepresented groups and has a long history of success at building diversity on campus. In particular, this program's previous REU participants included significant numbers of underrepresented groups (~30%; ~40% counting women from physics and engineering) and women (>47%). Moreover, SIUC is the only research-intensive university in the Southern Illinois region, which comprises a large geographical area that is socio-economically disadvantaged. Thus, this Program serves a large number of economically disadvantaged and first-generation college students. This REU Site is made possible through generous support from the Office of Special Programs, Division of Materials Research of the National Science Foundation.
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.
During this funding period, this REU Site hosted 42 undergraduate research participants. The REU site at SIUC provided an intellectual focus on materials research with an interdisciplinary group of faculty mentors from chemistry, physics, engineering, and microbiology in order to foster cross cutting and multidisciplinary scientific training to several undergraduate students all over the US. Inclusion of mentors from various disciplines also provides opportunities for the REU students to think about their respective projects in broad terms and explain their results to a diverse audience. These skills are particularly important in industry and academia where interdisciplinary teams are standard and researchers must communicate effectively across disciplines. Students are encouraged to think about the application of their research to new technologies and to consider issues relating to the manufacturing of new devices. Our REU website is at the address: http://chem.siu.edu/undergraduate/research-opportunities/reu/.
The proposed REU site catered to six primary goals: 1) to create a positive image of science and engineering as a career choice, ensuring that students depart the program with a greater sense of the trials, tribulations, and rewards that await them; 2) to provide a nurturing environment that instills a sense of confidence in the art of discussing and practicing science; 3) to improve the students’ oral and written communication skills; 4) to teach basic research tools, including literature searches and the operation of modern instrumentation; 5) to foster a collaborative teamwork approach to research; and 6) to increase the number of domestic students, especially those from underrepresented groups, who choose to further their careers in science and engineering.
Intellectual Merit. Taken together, the participants’ research projects are highly interdisciplinary, with special emphasis on materials chemistry and nanotechnology. These studies have included polymer synthesis and characterization; nano-embedded thermoelectric cooling in integrated circuits; materials for improved energy conservation in buildings; biomaterials; quantum information; sol-gel derived organic-inorganic thin films; hydrothermally grown zinc oxide nanowires; super-resolution optical microscopy; two-dimensional materials (including doped graphene); carbon nanotubes; applications of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs); analytical applications of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy; hyperpolarization-enhanced nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy; dye-sensitized solar cell materials; advanced carbon-carbon materials for aircraft brakes; micro-vibrational energy harvesting using piezoelectric transducers; and using nanoparticle adjuvants for vaccines (among many others).
As part of our Program, students participated in instrument training workshops in the following areas: NMR, mass spectrometry, electron and optical microscopy, various spectroscopies (like FT-IR and UV-Vis), ellipsometry, and dynamic light scattering (among others)—as well as library / reference resources. Each student also prepared and gave an oral presentation, learned to maintain detailed laboratory records, worked with peers in a team research environment, learned how to use data manipulation and figure preparation software, wrote up their scientific results in a final report in ACS journal format, and prepared and gave a final poster presentation. Indeed, each year approximately 100 faculty, graduate students, and other scientists attend our summer research colloquium where the REU students present their work. Over the last 3 years our REU participants have co-authored > 20 publications and > 55 conference presentations.
The Broader Impacts of this REU Site are manifold, including: enabling the participation of undergraduate students—particularly those from underrepresented groups and 2-/4-year institutions with little or no major research infrastructure or opportunities—in mentored research and encouraging them to choose STEM-based career paths; training of said students; biomedical and other wider-scope applications of newly created and characterized materials; and the broad dissemination of results via student-co-authored publications and conference presentations. Following participation in our program, the long-term academic progress of our participants is tracked over time. Importantly, >77% of our REU alumni (2006-2013) are on STEM career tracks.
Last Modified: 08/24/2016
Modified by: Saikat Talapatra
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