This award from the Division of Chemistry at the National Science Foundation supports a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site led by Professors Justin T. Fermann and Sankaran Thayumanavan, both at the University of Massachusetts- Amherst. The principal investigators will offer authentic research opportunities in the area of Renewable Energy to 10 students per year. Fourteen faculty members from five academic departments at UMass Amherst will offer ten-week intensive research internships within their existing federally supported research groups to perform original research on the science behind next-generation renewable energy technologies. The Collaborative Undergraduate Research in Energy (CURE) REU program trains students in the rigors of individual investigation in the context of intellectual collaboration that is a signature of work on scientific solutions to real societal challenges. Students will work in pairs on separate aspects of one overall scientific question, sharing their results and insight to compliment and reinforce each other's work. Each student pair is mentored by two faculty members with active research collaborations in the specific area and two near-peer mentors who guide the day-to-day activities of the participants. Students will complete collaborative proposal presentations, education and outreach projects, and manuscript writing in different formats to provide training in communicating science to distinct audiences. The research projects will address challenges in the development of solar cells, fuel cells, and biomass energy technologies. Weekly seminar discussions will provide a venue for cohort scientific development.
Recruitment of participants leverages programs that involve underrepresented students, such as the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (LSAMP), the McNair Scholarship Program, and institutions with the NSF's HBCU-UP Program. The Site will also have dedicated partners in Lincoln University, the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and the Northeast Alliance LSAMP Program. These recruiting efforts have been successful at increasing the participation and retention of historically underrepresented groups in research. Participants will be tracked after completio of the program to evaluate the impact of the REU experience on their later career steps. Dissemination of student research is accomplished through the "Journal Challenge" manuscript preparation in anticipation of eventual publication. Participants are trained in public outreach through the creation and presentation of Outreach and Education Project materials.
