This three year REU site program at the Colorado School of Mines will engage 10 undergraduate students each year in research focused in the area of novel polymer materials related to cutting-edge technologies like fuel cells and solar materials. The overall objectives of the REU site program are: 1) engage and educate students in polymer science and engineering; 2) emphasize diversity in research teams with respect to experience (from faculty to freshmen, non-Ph.D. granting institutions, etc.), gender, and ethnicity; and 3) quantify successes of the program through assessment, including number of participants earning their Bachelors degrees; presentations at national and regional meetings, and publications in peer reviewed journals.
A unique feature of this REU program is the exchange program which will allow the students to experience another research lab during the second half of the summer. Additionally, a series of technical workshops will provide the students with a broad introduction to polymer science and engineering. Furthermore, a complimentary set of workshops will cover professional skills development. At the end of each summer, the students will prepare and present posters on their research accomplishments.
Broader Impacts This REU site program will encompass research in polymer science and engineering while targeting highly qualified chemistry and chemical engineering students from diverse backgrounds. The student-learning outcomes of the project focus on engaging and creating enthusiasm for science and engineering. The research has direct ramification to the Army's fuel cell program. The proposed REU site program will target highly qualified chemistry and chemical engineering students from diverse backgrounds.
The Polymer themed REU program at the Colorado School of Mines offered a unique interdisciplinary research experience combining polymer science and polymer engineering. These research experiences were designed to drive the plastic and polymer industry toward more sophisticated technology, innovative products, and efficient processes by introducing undergraduate students to cutting edge polymer research and technology. The REU program targeted highly qualified chemistry and chemical engineering students from diverse backgrounds, with a particular emphasis placed on recruiting students from underrepresented groups. The projects outcomes involved can be listed as follows: Intellectual Merit: 1. Research Projects: Each student (37 in total) completed a research project with their assigned research advisor during the 10 weeks of the REU. A diverse group of participants included over 51% of the participants being female, over 16% of the participants were from underrepresented ethnic groups, and over 13% of the participants came from programs without Ph.D. programs. All REU participants produced a final report (~15 pages with figures) and presented a research poster. The research posters were judged by local professional chemists and chemical engineers. Over 90% of the participants responded that the goals of their research project were well defined and that overall their research project went great. 2. Short course on polymer science and engineering: The goal of the series of workshops was to introduce the major topics in polymer science and engineering (e.g., polymer nomenclature, synthesis, rheology, molecular modeling, etc.) during the first 10 days of the REU. These sessions included short lectures and active learning exercises using iPads. The goal was achieved based on survey data where all of the participants responded that they learned a lot or some during the short course. 3. Mentor Exchange: The mentor exchange gave each student the opportunity to see the details/laboratory/tools of another research project. The students spent 5 hours over the final 3 weeks of the REU shadowing their partner (and vice versa). A short, 2-page summary on the exchange was submitted on the last day of the REU. Broader Impacts: 4. Social activities: The Departments of Chemistry and Geochemisty as well as Chemical and Biological Engineering financially sponsored a number of social activities including a trip down a local alpine slide on the first day of the REU, attending a Colorado Rockies baseball game, white water rafting, and hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park. 5. Skills workshops: A set of weekly skills workshops prepared students for different phases of the REU as well as future careers in graduate school or the professional world. These workshops included Ethics, Oral Presentations, Technical Writing Skills, Problem Solving, Applying to Graduate School, Resume Preparation, and Polymers for K12 Students (in cooperation with teachers as part of supplemental funding to REU site grant). Based on survey data, all of the student participants stated that they learned a lot or some from the skills workshops 6. Tours of local facilities: The students participated in a tour of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which were lead by scientists and engineers working at the national laboratory. The tour focused on polymer fuel cells, thermochemical conversion of biomass, and biochemical conversion of biomass. Another tour of Intertech plastics allowed for the students to see larger scale production of plastic products from totes to cell phone cases. 7. Dissemination of research: As a result of the research that was conducted by the REU students during the three years of the REU site, 8 manuscripts have been published or submitted for peer review that include at least one REU students as a co-author. In addition, 9 of the students who participated in the REU program presented their research as a poster at a conference. One student won an award for best undergraduate poster at the 2013 AIChE Annual Meeting and another student was a co-author on a poster that won an award for outstanding poster in the polymer division at the 2015 ACS meeting in Denver. 8. Completing Degrees in Engineering and Science: By keeping track of all the students who attended the REU site over the past three years using our LinkedIn group, 100% of the students that could have obtained their degree in either chemical engineering or chemistry (based on their class standing at the time they attended the REU site) have done so. The participants wrote tweets about their experience in the final survey. The following are some of the tweets from the students: The Polymer REU was a great experience. I got to research a meaningful project and have an awesome time hiking and experiencing Colorado this summer. The polymer REU was a wonderful experience that taught me about research and working with different people. It also provided the opportunity for me to live in an awesome area for 10 weeks!
