The Division of Chemistry supports this project led by the NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates Leadership Group (REU-LG), a group of Chemistry REU site directors and others from the chemistry undergraduate research community. The group was created to support and enhance the REU chemistry program, which consists of over seventy individual REU sites. The Leadership Group (LG) has four general goals: increasing communication within the REU community and with the NSF, increasing the diversity of the students impacted by Chemistry REU programs, increasing the number of REU opportunities, and improving the evaluation and assessment of the Chemistry REU program. The LG also will catalyze new projects to advance its major goals. For example, the LG will help organize a meeting of Chemistry REU site directors and representatives from the NSF Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program. This meeting, along with other LSAMP/REU workshops for faculty participants, will enhance partnerships between the two programs, facilitate the inclusion of LSAMP students in REU summer programs, increase communication within the REU community, and generally encourage the broadened participation of underrepresented groups in chemical research at the undergraduate level.
The National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program is an NSF-wide program that supports undergraduate students to participate in research. Two mechanisms exist: REU Supplements (additional funding granted to scientists who currently have an active NSF grant in order engage undergraduates in their research) and REU Sites (a structured program for groups of undergraduate students to do research, primarily organized over 8-10 weeks during the summer). The Chemistry REU Leadership Group (LG) is a committee of REU Principal Investigators (PIs) who have research grants to host REU Sites. These PIs are recommended by the community and elected by the members of the committee to represent the variety of REU sites, ranging from those with a single focus on a specific theme to multidisciplinary sites that feature a variety of research topics. These PIs also represent the diversity of institutions that host REU sites: from 2-year community colleges and minority serving institutions to large research-intensive campus and museums. Sites also vary in the types of students targeted, from 2-year community college students and first time researchers, to experienced undergraduates who may benefit from an international experience abroad. Each site must seek to include undergraduates from underrepresented groups and also to provide a quality research experience. The REU LG functions as a conduit between the NSF and the community of REU PIs. In the project period reported, the LG hosted numerous forums at American Chemical Society national meetings for PIs to meet and discuss current issues in the community (e.g., assessment, recruiting, professional training of students, and leveraging funds). The REU LG has also sponsored symposia at ACS national meetings for REU PIs to share their work with others and coordinates the REU PI meeting once every three years. The LG maintains the website: www.nsfreu.org as a compendium of information and resources for the community.
