With this award, the Chemistry Division supports a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site directed by Dr. Dee Ann Casteel in the Department of Chemistry at Bucknell University. The twelve participants, recruited primarily from regional institutions and Bucknell, will take part in research projects from areas including organic and inorganic synthesis, x-ray crystallography, liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, capillary electrophoresis, enzyme purification and characterization, spectroscopy and semi-empirical calculations. The goals of the site are to further the chemical education of undergraduate students, to develop and improve their laboratory and analytical skills, to introduce them to the chemical literature, to give them experience in presenting and listening to chemical presentations, to promote collegiality and cooperation in a laboratory environment, to make them aware of career opportunities in chemistry and to nurture excitement for the research enterprise.
