This award supports the renewal of the REU site located at Idaho State University with a focus on applied nuclear physics. Undergraduate students will be recruited for ten weeks of summer research and will work with ISU researchers in Accelerator, Nuclear, and Materials Science Facilities in the Idaho Accelerator Center (IAC) and associated laboratories. Weekly lectures on advanced topics in materials science and physics are also planned, as are opportunities for students to improve their communication skills through presentations on their work. Once accepted into the program, but prior to arrival at ISU, REU students will be assigned to work in pairs with one or two specific faculty mentors. Assignments will be based on prior student experience and communications between students and mentors. Each pair of REU students will spend almost all of their time working with faculty mentors on a specific research project. A variety of social activities that allow students to explore the area and to interact with other students are also planned.
