The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site at the School of Physics at Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) engages undergraduate students in an immersive summer research experience that provides participants with hands-on physics research and encouragement to embark on graduate studies. This multi-institutional partnership between Georgia Tech and the institutions in the Atlanta University Center (Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University, Spelman College) fosters the nation's interests in creating a highly-trained, diverse workforce in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The primary objectives of this Site are to: (1) provide high quality research experiences, in combination with a series of professional development activities, for cohorts of visiting undergraduate researchers, (2) motivate and prepare talented undergraduates to pursue, and succeed in, graduate studies, (3) assemble a cadre of participants that reflects the diversity of the U.S. population, (4) attract students from institutions that have limited research activities, (5) continue engagement of the participants beyond the summer program when they return to their home institutions, and (6) nurture collaborations in research and instruction between the four institutions in the consortium. Other components of the site include team-building activities, regular group meetings, a research seminar series, a workshop series (e.g., focused on ethics, presentation skills, and graduate opportunities), undergraduate research symposia, and field trips to industrial and government laboratories.
TECHNICAL DETAILS: Undergraduate participants in the Georgia Tech - Atlanta University Center Research Experiences for Undergraduate (REU) site are paired with a faculty mentor and research group aligned with her/his physics interests. Summer research projects are selected from an array of possibilities ranging from atomic physics to condensed matter physics; from physics of living systems to astrophysics and computational physics. The Site aims to enhance interactions between Georgia Tech and the institutions in the Atlanta University Center and thereby increases the capacity for research at those predominantly undergraduate, minority-serving institutions. The Site is carefully structured to interweave high-quality research experiences, mentoring, and community building between the REU participants in order to provide students with a rich, supportive growth experience. Students who complete this summer experience are well-equipped with invaluable skillsets (hard and soft), an enhanced perspective, and a permanent set of mentors to aid in pursuit of their STEM careers.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
