REU Site: DESSA (Deep Eutectic Solvents, from Synthesis to Applications)

This Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site award to Clemson University, located in Clemson SC, supports the training of 8 students for 10 and a half weeks during the summers of 2025-2027. In this program, funded by the Division of Chemistry and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), the students participate in a common research theme that focuses on the synthesis, characterization, and application of deep eutectic solvents.

The intellectual merit of the program relies on the integration of pre-REU (Scientific Development, Lab Safety, Hazardous Waste, and industry contact), during-REU (research, technical workshops, communication skills), and post-REU (conference) activities. Taking advantage of video conferencing, the program also allows students to connect with each other, forge collaborations between the groups, and ultimately gain the skills to direct their potential toward productive careers as Ph.D. chemists in industry, government, and/or academia.

The program serves the broader community by providing participants (including students that do not have access to extensive research at their local institutions, and students in military schools) with the skills to direct their potential toward productive careers in chemistry.

Considering that deep eutectic solvents are rarely discussed in the undergraduate curriculum, this program aims at outlining its concepts through 10 interdisciplinary research projects, ranging from machine learning and organic synthesis to interactions with proteins and cells. To maximize access to both talent and state-of-the-art facilities, projects located in Clemson University (SC), Butler University (IN), University of Mississippi (MS), Western Michigan University (MI), University of Miami (FL), Georgia Southern University (GA), Louisiana Tech University (LA) and Florida Institute of Technology (FL) are available.

Students will benefit from the highly collaborative settings provided by the pool of mentors, from developing close relationships with faculty, and from the opportunity to present their results at the end of the summer.

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.