REU/RET Site: Interdisciplinary Research Experience in Sustainable Energy and Bioengineering

NON-TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: This research experiences for undergraduates (REU) site with a research experiences for teachers (RET) component creates a strongly collaborative research environment for both undergraduate students nationwide and high school teachers, focusing on both fundamental and applied research on sustainable energy and bioengineering applications. The main objectives are: (1) Create a vibrant research environment for all participants that offers the implementation of innovative ideas in engineering, (2) Educate students to become independent researchers and entrepreneurs and provide them opportunities to use their newly developed as well as innate skills in the summer-end final project presentation and competition during the annual symposium, (3) Develop a network of mentoring relationships led by the faculty between high school teachers and undergraduates, and (4) Educate teachers on sustainable energy and bioengineering and help them create lesson plans focused on nanotechnology and engineering for high school curriculum.

The educational activities are designed to build students’ self-esteem in scientific presentation and hands-on research. The research experiences inspire students to work on current energy and health related problems. Most undergraduate student participants continue with post-graduate education in science and engineering or pursue research and development careers in industry, academia, or national laboratories.

TECHNICAL DETAILS: Participants work on specific projects related to sustainable energy problems and bioengineering processes and participate in interdisciplinary cutting-edge research and innovation. Project topics include ionic transport in ion containing copolymer grafted nanoparticles; developing sodium layered oxides with mixed transition metals including trivalent iron; antimicrobial complexation with polyelectrolyte gels and microgels; phosphorescent polymer nanocomposite sensors; hypersonic wind tunnels; cellular determinants of oncogenic plasticity; development of novel organoboron chemical reagents; mechanics of human balance control; and assembly and calibration of a soft tissue testing machine.

An RET component is integrated into this REU to initiate and enrich the existing nanoscience and engineering curriculum in high schools with a high number of underrepresented minority students.

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.