The award from the Chemistry Division supports an Undergraduate Research Centers (URC) planning grant. The PI is Donald R. Bobbitt. The planning will focus on establishment of an interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research Center employing a "studio focus" and built around the concept of "Uncovering the Rules of Nature at the Small Scale". The planning phase of the project will involve a broad community, including University of Arkansas faculty from several colleges, representatives of the Arkansas High School and Community College Systems and members from industries and small businesses with interests in nanoscience and technology. During the planning phase, a programmatic vision and operational framework for the studio concept of learning will be developed to engage more students and a more diverse base in undergraduate research, together and early, in their freshman and sophomore years. Teams of faculty, students and staff will be assembled. New courses, an example curriculum and detailed cross-disciplinary experiments will be developed.
