This REU award for a Site at the University of California Riverside supports 12 undergraduate students in year one and 16 students in years two and three for 9 weeks in the summer and up to 30 weeks of academic year activity.
The objective of this program is to provide meaningful research opportunities to undergraduates from institutions that do not have major research operations. The REU Site will take a multidisciplinary approach to nanoscience and technology based on the research agenda of the Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) at the university. The program provides not only stimulating research opportunities, but it also offers guidance on preparation for graduate school and the graduate experience, and information for community college students on how to transfer to a bachelors program. Also, the program will include a module regarding real world ethics in research.
The program provides the opportunity for undergraduates to integrate research into their education as well as increase the participation of underrepresented groups in science and engineering. The involvement of these students in exciting research enhances the likelihood that community college students will consider transferring to a bachelors program and undergraduate students will consider post-graduate study. Many of the participants will be drawn from nearby accredited Minority Institutions and Hispanic Serving Institutions, thus contributing to a rich and diverse research environment..
