This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site project is in the field of chemistry. For a three-year period beginning April 1992, ten (10) undergraduate students will spend ten (10) weeks engaged in basic research under the direction of the faculty members in the Chemistry Division. By design, the scope of the research projects within the chemistry department extend from basic scientific research for theoretical advancement to applied research on system design and technological development. Most importantly, the research opportunities for the NSF-REU undergraduate participants will encompass all of the major disciplines of chemistry; Inorganic, Organic, Physical, Analytical and Biochemistry. The range of projects that would be available to participating students include a full range of chemical, theoretical, biophysical and instrumentation approaches to the advancement of polymer science. Our plan is to place great emphasis on matching the students with mentors who have similar scientific interests. Several department members are involved in joint research projects with scientific colleagues at Kodak, Xerox, Bausch and Lomb, IBM, Mobil Corp. and Fisons Pharmaceuticals. The students will have an opportunity to benefit from these professional collaborations through on-site seminars, plant visitations and possibly even future research internships. Our ultimate goal is to motivate all participants in the summer research program to pursue scientific excellence.
