REU Site: Integrated Computational and Experimental (ICE) REU at North Carolina State University

This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites award to North Carolina State University (NCSU) supports the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2022-2024. At this site, supported by the Department of Defense in partnership with the NSF REU program and the Division of Chemistry, students take part in research projects spanning the field of chemistry.

This program integrates computation and experiment, such that the computational component provides a unifying theme across a diverse set of projects. Participants will engage in a series of activities that facilitate their professional development including workshops on ethics, preparing a poster, applying and preparing for graduate school or industrial careers, and science communication.

Participants will also learn about industrial and governmental research and non-research career options so that they can make informed decisions about their own career and educational paths. Other social activities offered on campus provide participants opportunities to interact with fellow researchers in other undergraduate research programs to gain a sense of community and collegial support.

Available student research projects at this REU site cover many topics in chemistry including: materials science (polymer synthesis, nanomaterials synthesis), life sciences (biomolecule-directed synthesis, biomolecule sensing, and biomolecular interaction studies), and energy sciences (homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis, electron capture, biofuels, photochemistry), as well as research in more traditional chemistry sub-fields (organic, inorganic, physical and analytical). An advantage of the integrated computational/experimental nature of program is that the computational aspect serves as a unifying theme for participants regardless of the nature of the individual research project.

The program takes advantage of the geographic location of NCSU and exposes students to careers in non-academic settings in the Research Triangle Park (RTP) area. Additionally, students participate in various activities organized by the NCSU Office of Undergraduate Research that are designed to encourage interaction with other undergraduate researchers and aid in their professional development as they embark on future careers.

The program aims to recruit students from underrepresented groups (persons of color, women, and first generation college students) from local HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), rural and non-urban primarily undergraduate institutions, and from Puerto Rican institutions.

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.