REU Site: The Physics of Waves from the Nanoscale to the Cosmic Scale

The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program in Physics and Astronomy at Washington State University (WSU) provides students advanced 10-week research internships that demonstrate how the concept of waves pervades all aspects of our physical universe. These internships will take place in world-class facilities under the direct supervision of faculty who are experts in their respective disciplines and highly experienced undergraduate research mentors.

Recruitment and support for underrepresented and underserved groups in STEM are a significant focus of the program. This includes a major partnership with the NSF-funded Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program at WSU. Peer and team mentoring and professional development are integral parts of the holistic experience within both the research setting and living experience.

This is achieved in part through the WSU Community of Scholars program that includes scholars in all REU programs on campus (involving approximately 80 REU scholars each summer) and uniquely engenders relationships and networking opportunities with student peers across the country. This REU program will host 6-10 scholars each summer to foster their research skills and post-graduate career opportunities in physics, astronomy, and related fields to help create the next generation of STEM leaders.

This REU program will provide undergraduate students with internships in world-class research groups spanning fields that include gravity waves, shock physics, low-dimensional and complex materials, and quantum atomic phenomena. Each student will select a project of interest from within the department and be paired with a faculty mentor who has extensive experience mentoring WSU undergraduates.

State-of-the-art research facilities available include the Institute of Shock Physics, the WSU Dodgen Research Nuclear Reactor, the Center for Materials Research, the Franceschi Microscopy Center, and multiple Bose-Einstein Condensate instruments, including one on the International Space Station. Individual projects will be connected through the common concept of waves.

Seminars in each subfield will be presented to all trainees to highlight this pervasive and connective physics and astronomy phenomenon. Professional development field trips to the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the Hanford Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory will give students a broad experience of research settings, engage in meaningful discussions with researchers, and get insights into career opportunities.

A University-wide, summer “Community of Scholars” program at WSU provides an interdisciplinary and social living environment and professional development opportunities for numerous REU and REU-like summer programs to engender social and professional relationships among its typically 80 undergraduate participants. This is of strategic importance to develop a network of peer support among students and is particularly important for underrepresented STEM disciplines groups.

A partnership with the NSF-LSAMP program will synergize recruitment and support for underrepresented and underserved scholars.

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.