This three year REU Site program at Washington University in St. Louis is focused on "Energy Research with Global Reach". The specific goals of this REU program are to provide 10 undergraduate students with: 1) a meaningful introduction to research in energy systems; 2) training and practical experience with experimental design; 3) an opportunity to develop their abilities to communicate technical information in a professional manner through written reports, journal article and oral presentations; 4) exposure to global issues in energy research with a 2.5 week international visit and training in one of McDonnell Academy Global Energy and Environment Partnership partnering institutions (MAGEEP, one of the 25 global institutes visited every year by the MAGEEP international program); and 5) encouragement to pursue advanced degrees in science or engineering.
In addition to the research activities, students will participate in several organized social events to facilitate the development of lasting collegial relationships among the students and faculty. The REU students will tour two or three local energy systems (Ameren, Northrop Grumman, The Solae Company, etc.). The program will also include activities that will help the students develop their technical communication skills. Team building and communication skills relevant for a global environment will be nurtured through this program. The students will develop their written and oral technical communication skills by preparing and presenting biweekly written and oral reports on their research progress. At the conclusion of the REU site program, all students will make formal final presentations at the Washington University Undergraduate Research Symposium, which will be held in conjunction with the other REU programs on the campus. This conference will be viewed through videoconferencing by various global partnering institutes to get feedback from a global perspective.
Participants will be recruited from four-year colleges and universities. Special emphasis will be placed on recruitment of underrepresented minorities. The program will motivate and encourage participants to pursue graduate education and careers in energy research.
The REU students will learn Global aspects of energy research and will be trained to be global leaders in energy research in a collaborative learning environment. The international research and learning connectivity established by this REU Site program will help students respond to global issues in energy studies.
This three-year program provided an opportunity for ten outstanding undergraduates to spend ten weeks (including international visit) at WU during the summer, where they conducted independent research under the guidance of one or more faculty members. In addition, they spent two weeks of their stay in one of the McDonnell Academy Global Energy and Environment Partnership partnering institutions (China, Brazil and Australia respectively). The students were trained in energy research relevant for developing countries and were made aware of political and societal issues involved in advanced energy systems research. The students were trained to communicate effectively to international audience. The students were trained to be future researchers. 7 students out of 30 students admitted to the program have already started working on their PhD degrees. WU students enrolled in their international experience class benefitted significantly from interacting with the REU students, with their friendship and collaborations extending far beyond the period of the program. Six peer reviewed journal articles have resulted so far with the REU students as coauthors. They are listed below. 1. Ball, M. Chen, R., Tang Y.J. The "Some Sense" of Biofuels. Journal of Petroleum & Environmental Biotechnology (2012). 2. Choudhury, N., Northrop, P.C., Crothers, A., Jain, S. & Subramanian, V. Chitosan hydrogel-based electrode binder and electrolyte membrane for EDLCs: experimental studies and model validation. J Appl Electrochem 42, 935-943 (2012). 3. Shah, V.B., Orf, G. S., Reisch, S., Harrington, L.B., Prado, M., Blankenship, R. E., and Biswas, P. Characterization and deposition of various light-harvesting antenna complexes by electrospray atomization. Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 404, 2329-2338 (2012). 4. Guduru, A., Northrop, P.W.C., Jain, S., Crothers, A., Marchant, T.R. and Subramanian, V. Analytical solution for electrolyte concentration distribution in lithium-ion batteries. J Appl Electrochem 42, 189-199 (2012). 5. Yi Yang, Yujia Min, Jena Lococo, and Young-Shin Jun,* "Effects of Al/Si Ordering on Feldspar Dissolution: Part I. Crystallographic Control on the Stoichiometry of Dissolution Reaction," Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 2014, 126, 574-594 6. Wu SG, Huang L, Ball M, Tang YJ, Chen DR. Electrospray Facilitates the Germination of Plant Seeds. Aerosol and Air Quality Research. 2014. 14(3): 632-641.
