The National Institute of Standards and Technology will continue its REU Site: SURFing the Physics Lab, a NIST-NSF Partnership program to host up to 24 students in its 12-week summer undergraduate research fellowship (SURF) program (9-week programs are available to students on the quarter system). This award will support as many as to 14 students; the NIST Physics Laboratory will support an additional 10 students. NIST student projects cover many aspects of research; they have included optical tweezers, quantum computing and ionizing radiation applications in medicine and homeland security. They support the advance of science and technology crucial for industrial competitiveness, and serves as a base of support for all research efforts within this country. This physics REU program shares many functions and activities with six other REU programs that operate in the other six operational units of the NIST Laboratories. Each year more than 100 students share housing, seminars and social functions across the seven REU programs. These students are from all ethnic backgrounds, all regions of the United States, and from colleges large and small. Physics SURF students learn the broad role physics plays in many other applied research areas. To enhance the experience, the SURF program organizes professional activities such as tours of NIST research facilities, local universities and other sites. The proximity to major cities, the ocean and rural parks ensure many social opportunities for the large number of students in the program.The SURF program is a rigorous training program in atomic, molecular, optical and radiation physics that provides opportunities for our nation's next generation of scientists to engage in world-class physics research at NIST. NIST is one of the nation's premier institutes for the physical sciences and, as the lead agency for technology transfer, is providing a strong interface between government, industry, and academia. The NIST Physics Laboratory offers unique research and training opportunities for undergraduates, providing them a research-rich environment, exposure to state-of-the-art equipment, an opportunity to work closely with world-class scientists and to be introduced to professional contacts that represent future employment possibilities. The program involves a full immersion in science, including hands-on experience with state-of-the-art research and computational tools, constant dialogue with world-class scientists, and learning to think about the origins, future directions and potential applications of research projects. The SURF program is available to all U.S. citizens and permanent residents. SURF encourages the participation of women, minorities and the handicapped at a critical point in the careers of these under-represented American students who have often been discouraged from careers in science, math and engineering. In some cases, support is provided to students to travel to present their summer research at conferences during the following school year.
