REU Site: Stony Brook University Chemistry REU in Spectroscopy, Biological Chemistry and Synthesis (SBS)

This Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site award to Stony Brook University, located in Stony Brook, NY, supports the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2021-2023. In this program, supported by the Chemistry Division, students will pursue faculty-mentored research projects that provide technical experience applicable to a broad range of chemical professions.

Students work in research clusters, which is designed to enhance their science communication skills and allow them to engage with a community of scholars. Training in this program also includes professional development activities targeting overall career development, ethics, resume-building and networking. This program aims to increase the diversity of students graduating and going on to advanced degrees in the chemical sciences.

Participants in this program explore one of three fundamental research areas: spectroscopy, biological chemistry, or synthesis. Students are trained in skills relevant to their research projects which may include organic synthesis, solid state synthesis, cell culture and use of sterile technique, high resolution NMR, mass spectrometry, fluorescence microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy.

The professional development series focuses on career development and science communication, including an improvisational theater workshop focused upon distilling one's scientific message and an end-of-summer poster session. This program aims to diversify the STEM workforce by recruiting underrepresented minority students and women from primarily undergraduate institutions, including five partner Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) and emerging HSIs.

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.