IRES Track I: RUI: Involving US undergraduates in interdisciplinary research at specialized EU nanotechnology and glass science sites on development of novel amorphous materials

Every year, six U.S. undergraduate IRES trainees will participate in research and training programs at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, related to the development, properties and application of amorphous materials. Trainees will be chosen from the full-time students in the Physics, Engineering Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Geology programs at APSU.

This student opportunity will culminate in a seven week summer research experience at recognized European universities in France, Czech Republic and Poland. Amorphous materials are key to future advancements in fields from lasers and fiber optics to the aerospace and automobile industries. Devices based on these materials can be found in the hardware that forms the backbone of our modern telecommunication infrastructure, including the internet.

They are used in numerous advanced STEM areas including linear and non-linear infrared optics and photonics, chemical and bio-sensing, phase-change memory devices, nanolithography, and nano- and bio-engineering. US undergraduate students interested in careers in the science and technology of materials will acquire comprehensive theoretical and experimental training under faculty and staff with world-class expertise.

Advanced professional preparation such as this is critical for students at public primarily undergraduate universities like APSU. These international collaborations will result in joint publications and conference presentations. Additionally, trainees will have new cultural and social experiences because of the interaction with the international student population at the host institutions.

Students from minority and underrepresented groups, first generation and low-income students, as well as military-affiliated students (near 25% of the APSU student body) will be strongly encouraged to participate. The project is also of vital importance to the outreach and promotion of STEM education in Middle Tennessee. It will support the diverse intellectual and research environment at APSU and will help to train globally oriented and innovative future scientists, engineers, and educators.

The Project funds an international interdisciplinary undergraduate summer research program focused on development of novel amorphous materials by a diverse group of APSU students in partnership with collaborators at three European institutions (University of Rennes I, France; University of Pardubice, Czech Republic; University of Rzeszow, Poland); each research group specializing in a distinct aspect of glass science and technology. These groups, when taken together, cover the complete material research and development cycle, starting with synthesis, followed by characterization, and ending with application.

The project will expand upon the current long-term international scientific collaboration between APSU and these European institutions. The students' research will include advanced topics such as new functionality of amorphous materials doped with nanoparticles, nanostructuring of amorphous thin films, optimization of bioglasses, and developing a nanoscale insight into the molecular structure of amorphous solids.

Nano-engineering of chalcogenide glasses is especially intriguing and may allow for the design of hybrid materials combining two or more useful properties in one functional medium. Undergraduate students will develop innovative research skills in modeling, synthesis, macro- and nanoscale characterization, and structural and functional modification of novel amorphous materials for cutting-edge applications.

Results from this work will impact the development of novel amorphous materials as well as new hybrid nano-modified media for applications in photonics, electronics, even quantum computing. These efforts will contribute to deeper understanding of nanoscale phenomena in amorphous solids.

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.