ABSTRACT

Non-Technical Summary

Georgia Tech will host a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program that provides holistic summer research opportunities to a diverse population of undergraduates. The REU's significance is its development and sustained support of the next generation of physicists. It is structured to address the leaky STEM pipeline for underrepresented minorities and women by providing (i) high-quality research experiences in an inclusive climate, (ii) hard and soft skills that support success in STEM fields, and (iii) embedding participants in a supportive network of REU alumni, mentors, and supporters that extends well beyond the summer. A central component of the Georgia Tech Physics REU program is its partnership with the local HBCUs, Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College, which prioritizes four out of twelve REU positions for their students. Students are exposed to a broad range of physics through weekly discussions of their progress (Monday Mentoring Meetups), a Frontiers in Physics seminar series, and a trip to a National Laboratory. Participants will gain timely technical skills in a three-day hands-on Computational Physics workshop. Beyond the summer, long-term mentoring and facilitated peer networking will improve outcomes. The combined impact of a high-quality, immersive summer research experience in a supportive and inclusive environment and the possibility of joining a diverse lifelong community of like-minded physicists in the Georgia Tech REU alum network will ultimately improve the number, the success, and the well-being of underrepresented minorities, women, and all REU participants who pursue higher education in physics or another STEM field. Hence, these activities serve national interest by advancing the field of physics, supporting education and diversity, and fostering a new generation of knowledgeable, resilient, and well-prepared scientists so that they may pursue their highest goals.

Technical Summary

The Georgia Tech Physics REU site has a longstanding focus on broadening participation in physics. The aims of this NSF REU program are to: (i) provide high-quality inclusive research experiences, in combination with a series of professional and scientific development activities, (ii) motivate and prepare resilient undergraduates to pursue, and succeed in, graduate study, (iii) assemble a cadre of participants that reflects the diversity of the U.S., (iv) attract students from institutions that have limited research activities, (v) continue engagement of the participants beyond the summer and throughout their careers, and (vi) foster collaborations between Georgia Tech and the Atlanta University Center Consortium (AUCC: Morehouse College, Spelman College, Clark Atlanta) to enhance inclusive educational and research opportunities for students in the AUCC. Each participant will work with a faculty member who has an active research group in an area of interest to the student. Available physics research projects will range from quantum materials to the physics of living systems to astrophysics. The program will benefit from shared activities with established REU programs (~5) in other disciplines within the College of Sciences. At the end of the program, students share their research in poster and oral presentations at a College-wide REU Research Symposium. Students will be encouraged to present at external conferences, and AUCC students will have the option to continue research at Georgia Tech beyond the summer. Long-term mentoring of REU alums will strengthen their resilience and support their journeys beyond college. Networking between the REU alum cohorts will be facilitated via the 'Alum in the Hot Seat' series, a newsletter, and the GT REU Physics Linked In Group.

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.

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