This project is a continuation of an REU site, which involves approximately ten undergraduate students per year in a summer internship program. The fields of study are all thrust areas within the Department of Physics at UAH, and include space plasma physics, optics, and materials science. These related topics are presented under the unified theme of "Space Physics and Instrumentation". Students will be involved in the study of materials used in the construction of, and optical characteristics of, space instrumentation, as well as in the scientific return from spacecraft and ground-based instruments studying the Earth, the Sun, and astronomical objects. The students, and their advising faculty, will meet weekly as a group to discuss progress. The proposed topics constitute genuine research endeavors, yet, as our experience shows, can realistically be completed in one summer. Recruitment is primarily targeted as students outside the local area, but within the Southeast region. Women and minorities will be especially targeted; indeed over 70% of the students funded the previous award were women. The research environment is outstanding, and students will have many opportunities to interact with scientists and facilities both in local industry and at the nearby NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. #
