Undergraduate student participants (10 per year) in this REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) site are integrated into scientific investigations in order to train the next generation of U.S. scientists and engineers. This Site primarily supports participation of women, underrepresented minorities, and persons from economically depressed areas (e.g., Appalachia). Involvement will improve the likelihood that participants will enroll in graduate-level science and engineering education programs, thereby improving the scientific workforce of the U.S. Participants are provided with a comprehensive program that rapidly moves them toward research independence. This preparation includes day-to-day research work on nanomaterials-related projects intermingled with training in: research process and cutting-edge scientific instrumentation; laboratory safety and scientific ethics; and communication, collaboration, and technical writing. Projects are geared to the eventual development of devices for a new generation of biometric, healthcare, and energy applications, including environmental monitoring, early disease detection, and solar cell technologies.
This project focuses on solving fundamental engineering and scientific problems related to the fabrication of complex devices for use in environmental monitoring, early disease detection, proteomic/genomic identification, and energy efficiency. The approach includes: use of scanning probe acceleration microscopy to study nanoscale mechanical responses of biologically relevant surfaces; use of ab initio DFT computational modeling to design metal organic framework nano-architectures for CO2 trapping/conversion; fabrication and characterization of a) multiferroic thin films for integration into memory devices, b) non-mechanical valves for point-of-care testing, c) microfluidic polydimethylsiloxane tissue bioreactors for culture of breast cells, normal and cancerous, and d) quantum dot-gold nanoparticle optical assays for heavy metal detection in water; development and performance measurements of nanopatterned Schottky diodes for thin film solar cell technologies; modeling of liver functions using P450 enzymes attached to self-assembled monolayers with subsequent surface characterization; study of ion transport through nano-capillary microfluidic devices using COMSOL-Multiphysics software; synthesis of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles with subsequent surfactant modification, and characterization; growth of organic and hybrid light emitting diodes (LED) and characterization (optical/electrical) of surface nanostructures for improved understanding of LED efficiency and reliability. Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) participants carry out their research in collaboration with faculty and graduate students and are trained on modern scientific equipment (AFM, X-ray reflectivity and diffraction, capillary electrophoresis, photolithography, SEM, etc.) and/or in the use of computer modeling software (ab initio DFT, COMSOL-Multiphysics). The project includes training that is important to the development of future scientific leaders, e.g. scientific ethics, laboratory safety, communication, collaboration and technical writing skills.
This REU Site is co-funded by the NSF Divisions of Materials Research (DMR) and Chemistry (CHE).
In the NSF funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site: Multifunctional Nanomaterials, 11 undergraduate participants in 2012 and 64 participants covering the entire life of this and a subsequent award (2007-2012) received an integrated experience where research and education were concurrent priorities. Undergraduate students participated in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) research projects that addressed fundamental questions related to surfaces, toxicity and fluid transport in a variety of configurations, both experimentally and theoretically. Participant research projects focused on multifunctional nanomaterials with applications to biometrics, environmental monitoring early disease detection, and energy efficiency. REU participants were engaged in joint efforts with expert faculty advisors to enrich their educational experience. For 2012, we met the recruitment goals of the grant through a REU participantpopulation that was 45% women, 27% underrepresented minorities and/or Hispanic, 36% first generation college students, and 73% from Appalachia (i.e., a socio-economically depressed region). In addition, all participants came from institutions external to the host institution and 82% of the 2012 participants came from primarily undergraduate institutions. We also met the recruitment goals for the entire life of this (2010-2012) and the previous award (2007-2009) through an overall participant population that was 47% women, 30% underrepresented minorities and/or Hispanic, 23% first generation college student, and 45% from Appalachia. Further, all 64 participants came from institutions external to the host institution and 81% came from non-Ph.D. granting institutions. The REU Site broadened the participation of underrepresented students in graduate level STEM education programs. Tracking surveys indicate that 78% of the 2007-2009 participants are attending (or have graduated from) graduate school in a STEM discipline. For the more recent cohorts (2010-2011), 33% are attending or planned to attend graduate school by fall of 2012. This REU Site has contributed to the growth of a highly skilled U.S. scientific workforce. Past participants who have graduated (from undergraduate or graduate) are gainfully employed in STEM fields and are working in academia or industry as/at, for example, Johns Hopkins, Corning, Inc., Lockheed Martin, Thorlabs, Hatch Mott MacDonald, and Wunderlich-Malec Engineering. To date, five REU participants are listed as co-authors on six peer-reviewed publications. Through the REU Site and its administration, we have established recruitment networks among four-year colleges and universities, while forming partnerships between faculties within STEM to enhance scientific, communication, and collaborative skills of participants. These networks and partnerships are an integral component of training and mentoring of the next generation of scientists.
