With this award, the Chemistry Division supports a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site directed by Drs. Suzanne M. Ruder and Stephen P. Watton in the Department of Chemistry at Virginia Commonwealth University. The eight participants, recruited primarily from regional institutions, will take part in a program offering a broad scope of projects centered around chemistry, chemical engineering and industrial chemistry. The projects combine the expertise of faculty from two departments and emphasize the applicability of the research to the development of modern technology and commerce. The students' oral and written communications skills will be developed through informal presentations of their research, through writing workshops, through a final report and through participation in a final day-long symposium.