REU Site: Tuskegee University Research Experience for Undergraduates in Nano-Bio Materials Science and Engineering

About This Grant

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY Tuskegee University (TU) has, over the years with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and other federal agencies, developed a program of research and education in Materials Science and Engineering (MSE), which is not only very comprehensive but also very effective in recruiting, motivating, mentoring and graduating students with advanced degrees in MSE. This Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site will establish a pipeline to expose undergraduates from four-year and community colleges in Alabama to a research environment. The research projects chosen for students are in Nano-Bio Materials Science and Engineering, an area of high national interest that is vital for technological developments in engineering, science, and medicine. The involvement of REU students in these emerging research areas with faculty from various disciplines and existing on-campus multidisciplinary research and education centers will enable them to develop the skills needed to excel in academia and STEM careers. Ph.D. students as mentors, deans of various colleges at TU, and MSE Ph.D. alumni as seminar speakers will not only serve as role models but also build confidence and motivate students to pursue graduate studies in STEM areas. The planned workshops, summer presentations, and field trips give students a deeper appreciation and an incentive to pursue graduate studies in STEM disciplines. TECHNICAL SUMMARY This REU site is focused on training 10 undergraduate students for a 10-week period each summer in the fields of Nano-Bio Materials Science and Engineering under the mentorship of interdisciplinary research faculty and their Ph.D. students. Research activities will focus on a wide range of important areas including the synthesis of nanoparticles from agricultural and poultry waste, antimicrobial and cell adhesion properties of hydrogel films, structure-property relationships of nano-bio composites, and direct thermal energy systems. The involvement of REU students in these challenging and meaningful research areas with Ph.D. students as mentors will significantly impact their decision to pursue graduate studies and STEM-based careers. REU students will also participate in several unique activities including a 2-credit hour Introduction to Research Course and training on Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Students will learn critical thinking, qualitative reasoning, mathematical, analytical, and research skills through these activities that will be integral in their transition toward graduate studies and STEM careers. Site activities will also support student professional development including professional seminars by role models, field trips to local industrial sites, summer presentations, and workshops. Finally, a comprehensive assessment program will be implemented to assess the impact of the program on students including interest in research, progress in education, and long-term professional development. 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.