This award from the Division of Chemistry (CHE) supports a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site for the summers of 2013-2015 led by Janet Morrow and Sarbajit Banerjee of the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. The Site will support ten students per summer for a ten week program. The Site will focus on interdisciplinary collaborative research with an emphasis on sustained engagement throughout the academic year. A special thrust will focus on recruiting at least two community college students each summer to provide them access to research opportunities at an early stage of their career. Broader impacts stem from the introduction of students to modern research methods and projects. Collaborative research activities during the academic year will promote student involvement in the organization of data in presentations and manuscripts. The Site will focus on students who may not normally have the chance to participate in research in a large university setting and increase the likelihood of their participation in graduate-level science and engineering programs.
Interdisciplinary research projects are available in several areas; including, 1) synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials, 2) organic synthesis, 3) chemical biology/medicinal chemistry, 4) environmental chemistry, 4) computational chemistry, 5) polymer and materials chemistry, and 6), inorganic materials for biomedical diagnostics and imaging. Participants will meet weekly as a group for discussions on laboratory safety, manuscript writing, research ethics, graduate education and career choices. Students will also hear from industrial researchers through a biweekly seminar series, which will provide further exposure to career choices. Students will have multiple opportunities to present their work in oral and written communication in the summer program and at professional society meetings. Additional activities will include field trips to local industries and research centers across Western New York's thriving manufacturing, life science, and biomedical industry.
