This Chemistry Division award supports a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site at the University of Arizona for the summers of 2005-2007. The program director is Katrina Miranda who is assisted by co-PI Dominic McGrath. The University of Arizona REU site will train 27 primarily female and minority undergraduates in chemical research while encouraging these students to enter scientific careers, enhancing the scientific workforce. The primary objective is to expose undergraduates from primarily non-Ph.D. granting institutions to collaborative research environments in order to initiate or develop their desire to pursue a career in the sciences. The program will recruit women and underrepresented minority students from non-Ph.D. granting institutions primarily, although not limited to, the western states. The core of the program will be independent research under a faculty mentor and associated collaborators. A series of seminars will help prepare the REU students to carry out research, to initiate discussion and thought about ethical issues in science and the research environment, and to consider career opportunities in chemistry. A poster symposium for the REU students as well as other on-campus summer research programs will be held at the conclusion of the program. After the completion of the program, the REU students will be encouraged to present their research at regional conferences such as the Rocky Mountain Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society (RMRM).
