This award supports a new REU site in the Physics Department at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. The site intends to engage undergraduate students for ten weeks during the summer with exciting research that is centered on optics and laser physics, and to assist the professional development of the students. Optics and Laser Physics affects all areas of physics, many other sciences, and everyday lives. Ongoing research at UNL includes exploring the ultra-energetic, with laser energy densities currently exceeding that of the solar interior, and the ultrafast, with time resolution sufficient to "see" individual atoms move in a molecule. The Optics and Laser Physics program combines state of the art experimental research with powerful theoretical support. Technological applications include switching magnetic domains with ultrafast lasers to improve data storage and retrieval rates. The professional development program for students includes a seminar, attendance and contribution to a research seminar, visits to local optics-related industry, a job orientation, GRE preparation, and graduate school selection preparation.
The REU-Site "Lasers and Optics" ran at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. The program was managed by Professors Kees Uiterwaal and Herman Batelaan. The program ran for three consecutive summer from 2010 until 2012. All the objectives of our program were met. The program was very popular. A total of 368 students applied, to fill only 28 positions that were funded. Our application process requires transcripts, reference letters, and an application letter to be considered complete. In 2010, 2011, and 2012 we had 82, 116, and 170 complete applications, respectively. In the 2011 and 2012 year, 30% and 23% applicants were female. In 2011, 7 were Asian, 6 African American, 9 Hispanic, 1 Hawaiian Islander, 1 American Indian, 2 multiracial, 3 preferred not to respond. In 2012, 21% were from underrepresented minorities. In 2011, we made 33 offers of which 12 were made to students from underrepresented groups (8 female, 3 Hispanic, 2 multiracial, 1 American Indian). Of the total of 18 students that accepted offers, 6 or (33%) students were from underrepresented groups; 3 were female, 1 American Indian, and 2 Hispanic. The GPA of the applicants in 2011 is 3.46, while for the accepted students the GPA is 3.75. This GPA reflects the overall quality as perceived by the mentors; the students were considered to be highly motivated and hard working. The GPA of the 2011/2012 applicant pool for Asians was 3.62/3.57, for Caucasians 3.55/3.54, for Hispanics 3.31/3.37, for African Americans 2.90/2.91, and for women 3.40/3.44. The applicant’s major was a double major for 55 out of 116 students (2011), while 6 students had majors different from physics. We were pleased with the number of applicants and its increasing trend. The geographical location of applicants is indicated in Table 1. Finally, of the 28 accepted REU students into our REU program, 4 came from institutions that grant the Ph.D., 2 from a Masters Institution, and 22 from program where the highest degree is a bachelor of science/arts. This is consistent with the REU program’s goal to help make research available to those students that have less access to research facilities and activities. Specific description of activities. The students spent most of their time during the summer project working in research laboratories under the supervision of a mentor. All mentors were faculty with a Ph.D. in our department. Several additional activities were offered. In 2011 and 2012, six one-hour formal lectures were given by the PIs on, introduction to the laser, mode-locked laser, frequency combs and applications, slow and fast light, non-linear optics, and orbital angular momentum of light. This was added in 2011 to the program in response to student’s requests in the 2010 year. In 2010 we visited the Omaha Super Doppler radar station, Medical Imaging in Lincoln which includes X-Rays and MRI technology, and Woollam, an optical company specialized in ellipsometry. In 2011 we visited the Super Doppler Radar station, and Licor, a company specialized in infrared spectroscopy. In 2012, AirLite was visited. The general safety instruction by UNL’s Safety Office included a lecture on laser safety. The laboratory safety instruction by the PIs involved a session where two groups of 5 students were taken into labs and asked to identify and group hazards, indicate course of actions, locate exits, locate extinguishers (chemical and water), discuss the use of extinguishers, locate eye-wash, emergency telephone and numbers, find contact for responsible personnel etc. This was in addition to specific laboratory safety instruction provided by the mentors in their own research laboratories.
