The Center for Energy Efficient Electronics Science (E3S) at the University of California Berkeley will expand the existing Transfer-to-Excellence Research Experiences for Undergraduates (TTE REU) program into a TTE REU Site program with the following objectives: 1) increase the number of community college students, particularly women and underrepresented minority students who receive baccalaureate degrees in science and engineering; 2) help expand and diversify the pipeline of future graduate school students; and 3) attract a diverse body of community college students to science and engineering disciplines that are seeking solutions to the nation's energy problems. To accomplish these goals, this REU Site will bring together E3S and two other NSF-funded centers, the Center of Integrated Nanomechanical Systems (COINS) and the Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center (SynBERC), to expand the research opportunities available to community college students, particularly in the science and engineering fields of clean energy, nanotechnology, and biotechnology. In addition, this site will collaborate with the UC Berkeley Transfer Alliance Project (TAP), to provide academic advising and enrichment programs that prepare community colleges students to be competitive applicants to 4-year colleges.
Broader Impacts Serving as a bridge between two- and four-year colleges, this REU Site's primary goals are to: 1) increase the number of community college students, particularly women and underrepresented minority students, who go on to receive baccalaureate degrees in science and engineering; 2) help grow and diversify the pipeline of future graduate school students; and 3) attract students to science and engineering disciplines that are seeking solutions to the nation's energy problems. These goals support America's need for a clean energy revolution and to accelerate biotechnology and nanotechnology advancements. In addition, the REU Site leverages and contributes to the missions of three of NSF's funded centers.
