This new REU site award would provide research opportunities for 8 undergraduates (including 5 from underrepresented minority groups) and 2 Jackson area high school teachers for 10 weeks during summer. The research projects are in cutting edge nanoscale materials chemistry with potential biological and environmental applications and carried out under close guidance from faculty mentors. The participants will integrate in a research group that consists of other undergraduate, graduate students, postdoctoral scholars and visiting faculty. They will also receive an introduction to and overview of state-of-the-art scanning probe and electron microscopes, lasers, spectroscopic laboratories on campus, and access to high performance computing facilities in and around Jackson, Mississippi. In addition to the research, REU students will attend seminars and short courses on Nanomaterials Science and Engineering, acquire technical presentation skills, and receive career guidance that will continue beyond the summer program. The high school teachers will develop instructional materials that are based on their research experience, thus bridging K-12 education with nanoscience and technology research and career pathways. The instructional materials, after classrooms tests, will be available for broad dissemination to other K-12 teachers. This award is co-funded by the Divisions of Materials Research and Chemistry and the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate.
For the entire three years of the JSU REU Site program, we have had a total of 25 undergraduate (REU) and 5 teachers as participants. Of the 25 REU participants, 84% were African Americans, 72% were from non-research intensive institutions, and 72% were females. These numbers are among the highest for any REU program in the country. It reflects our program’s emphasis on training underrepresented minorities and students from non-research intensive institutions. Of the 25 REU participants, 15 graduated with a BS degree thus far and 10 are still in their respective undergraduate programs. Three of the participants advanced from community colleges/high schools to research universities. Of the 15 graduated, 8 are in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) graduate programs: biology (4), chemistry/biochemistry (2), pharmaceutical science (1), and environmental science (1). Three of them are in the master of public health program, 1 in medical school, and 1 in pharmacy school. There were 10 other undergraduate students who participated in some part of the REU activities with financial support by other summer programs on campus. They received the full benefit of the well-designed REU program activities. During the three-year program, 5 high school teachers were trained on materials science. They all developed nanoscience course modules and implemented in the Jackson Public School System, benefiting a larger audience. Thus far, the REU undergraduate students have co-authored seven peer-reviewed publications and over 40 oral and poster presentations. Some of the scientific findings include synthesis and properties of gold nanomaterials, carbon nantubes and fullerenes, their potential risks for humans, and their use as materials for photodynamic therapy.
