REU-Site: Regional Initiative to Promote Undergraduate Participation in Experimental and Computational Materials Research

About This Grant

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in partnership with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in Alabama will host a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)-site in experimental and computational materials research. This project offers a broad range of interdisciplinary materials research experiences to undergraduate students enrolled in physics, chemistry, applied mathematics, and engineering. The undergraduate students will gain experience in materials synthesis, materials characterization, computer modeling and simulations, and in conducting research at national laboratories. This project will provide lecture series and workshops in materials growth and characterization, research ethics and professionalism, innovation and entrepreneurship, and applying for advanced degrees in the science and engineering fields. This REU-site plans to develop a pipeline of undergraduate researchers who will become leaders in advances in science and discovery of novel materials and contribute to economic development and become part of a trained workforce in national defense. TECHNICAL SUMMARY: The REU-research projects are organized in four research clusters: (1) materials under extreme conditions (2) machine learning and simulations in materials research, (3) infrared lasers and spectroscopy, and (4) 3-D printed biomaterials and drug delivery platforms. The undergraduate research projects will contribute to fundamental understanding of phase transformations and behavior of materials under extreme conditions, machine learning enabled materials discovery, materials for mid-IR lasers and quantum information systems, and 3-D printed biomaterials and stimuli responsive polymers. The undergraduate research projects make extensive use of synchrotron x-ray source and spallation neutron source available at national laboratories in the United States The undergraduate student projects have short-term achievable milestones, while simultaneously contributing to longer-term scientific goals and technological applications. Our teaming arrangement of REU-participants with faculty and graduate students, giving poster and oral presentations, writing a research-style paper, and attending training seminars in scientific communications and ethics will help REU students see the big picture of what it takes to develop into a research scientist with the critical skills needed for analyzing, interpreting, and presenting scientific data. After conclusion of the ten-weeks summer research project, the program offers continual support to REU-participants in disseminating research results at professional meetings and in peer-reviewed publications. 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.