This award from the Division of Chemistry (CHE) and the Division of Materials Research (DMR) supports a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site led by Timothy B. Clark at Western Washington University. The research projects supported in this site are in areas of materials chemistry, synthetic chemistry and biochemistry. Undergraduates will be recruited to this site from Primarily Undergraduate Institutions and community colleges that lack infrastructure to support undergraduate research. The site will support ten students per summer in a ten week program. A sample of the projects that undergraduates will work on include: (1) the study of the copper-catalyzed diboration of carbonyl compounds; (2) the study of small-molecule activation via hydrogen bond donors/acceptors; (3) the investigation of oriented fluorophore tandem waveguide luminescent solar concentrators for solar energy conversion; (4) the investigation of nanostructures for ultrasensitive chemical sensing; (5) the investigation of polymerizable ionic liquids for light-emitting electrochemical cells and (6) the structural studies of coagulation factor VIII. In addition to conducting research during the summer, the students participating in this program will participate in a number of professional development activities, including a discussion of the responsible conduct of research, mentoring in scientific writing, and preparation for graduate study in the chemical sciences.
Young scientists need exposure to modern research methods and tools as part of their training. This REU site aims to provide cutting-edge research training in the chemical sciences, with a strong emphasis on environmental science. The research projects are in diverse areas of chemistry, many of which will have an impact in areas of national need. The diverse student cohort participating in research at this site will be well-prepared for graduate school, and eventual employment as part of the country's technical workforce.
The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program at Western Washington University (WWU) was awarded for the purpose of providing research experiences for students from community colleges and small four-year universities with limited student research opportunities. These students were targeted by this program for three reasons: 1) to facilitate the transition from community college teaching labs, with limited access to instrumentation and advanced techniques, to 4-year universities that expect a working knowledge of many of these instruments; 2) to increase the likelihood of students from community colleges to obtain advanced degrees in the sciences; and 3) to provide research opportunities for a large population of underrepresented minorities that attend community colleges. For the past three years, the participants of the REU program in the WWU Chemistry Department have been 1/3 from community colleges, 73% women, and nearly 1/2 underrepresented ethnic minorities in STEM. In addition to the diversity of our participants, this REU program has brought students to WWU from around the country. This had synergistic effects both for WWU as well as the participants’ home institutions. At WWU, the REU program has provided a much-needed boost to the diversity of its student population. Moreover, REU participants return to their respective home institutions with positive impressions of academic research, more clear, attainable goals regarding their career choices, and a more robust educational experience to bolster their classroom studies. Outcomes in scholarship for the REU participants have resulted in multiple peer-reviewed publications, attendance and poster presentations at national meetings, and entrance into graduate school for multiple participants. One REU participant recently received a highly competitive NSF predoctoral fellowship, which was awarded prior to entrance into graduate school. Lastly, the success of the WWU REU program described herein allowed the WWU Chemistry Department to be approved for a second cycle of funding for this program.
