The Renewable Energy Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (REMRSEC) at the Colorado School of Mines (CSM) hosts a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site. REMRSEC consists of an interdisciplinary team of 38 CSM faculty from the Departments of Chemical Engineering, Chemistry and Geochemistry, Liberal Arts and International Studies, Mathematical and Computer Sciences, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, and Physics, in addition to faculty from Academic Computing and Networking; Center for Engineering Education; Center for Assessment of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics; and the Division of Engineering. These faculty collaborate closely with scientific staff at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, located less than five miles from campus.
REMRSEC has two fundamental research goals: 1) to harness unique properties of nanostructured materials to significantly enhance the performance of next-generation photovoltaic devices, and 2) to develop advanced membranes for energy applications, particularly ion-conducting composite membrane materials that can be used in fuel cells. Over the summers of 2011 to 2013, this REU Site provides 24 undergraduate students a high quality research experience in these areas as well as professional development workshops, technical seminars, and mentoring programs to emphasize the need for further study and advanced degrees in materials science and renewable energy.
Intellectual Merit: An interdisciplinary team of approximately 30 faculty from Colorado School of Mines, as well as staff from the Colorado Energy Research Institute and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, mentored students in projects addressing clathrates in renewable energy; hybrid energy systems for oil shale production; microstructural design of composite membranes for energy storage and delivery; optimizing computational tools for energy science; performance of next-generation photovoltaic devices; and social and ethical implications of climate change, renewable energy, sustainability & education. Students attended weekly technical seminars that spanned the role of catalysts in fuel cells, challenges and opportunities with biofuels, computational energy science, energy storage materials, and photovoltaics. Hands-on laboratory investigations provided students with authentic experiences outside their primary research endeavors. Professional development sessions covered Being a Role Model, Finding a Mentor; Careers in Renewable Energy; Ethics and the Responsible Conduct of Research; Graduate School & Fellowship Opportunities; and Learning, Teaching, & Working Across Generations. Student "Snapshots" Sessions allowed students to informally share their research results in an open learning environment. Broader Impacts: The 2013 Renewable Energy REU at Colorado School of Mines (CSM) hosted 23 students from 18 different institutions (17 national, 1 international) in a 10-week summer program that strived for gender balance (12 females, 11 males) and diversity (7 underrepresented minorities, 3 non-traditional students, and 1 disabled student), as well as a balance between participants from research institutions and from institutions where research opportunities for students are limited. These 23 students participated in research discussions, laboratory tours, social activities, and an end-of-summer joint poster session with other nearby REU students in the Advanced Metallurgical Design for Transportation, Infrastructure, and Energy REU at CSM; the Advancing Polymer Materials by Integrating Chemistry and Chemical Engineering REU at CSM; the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN) REU at the University of Colorado, Boulder; and the Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) program at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Meredith Sharps from Emory University earned the Best Technical Achievement award for her research on "Silyl Ether Passivation of Silicon Quantum Dots Via Catalytic Dehydrocoupling Reactions". Taufik Raharjo from North Carolina State University earned the Best Presentation award for best communicating the nature, impact, and results of his research on "Synthesis of [Si1-xGex]136 Type II Clathrates (0.1 < x < 0.5): Alloyed Semiconductor Cages in Crystalline vs. Amorphous Products". Additional Support: National Science Foundation award DMR-0820518, Renewable Energy Materials Research Science and Engineering Center.
