9700511 Cleary This well integrated Research for Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) proposal advances education and research by involving undergraduate students in a study of the synthesis of new transition metal based materials and their characterization with respect to structure, chemical composition, phase transitions, and second harmonic generation efficiency. The educational benefit of this project will be derived from the undergraduate chemistry training to better reflect important scientific and technological issues facing society. %%% The materials to be synthesized and characterized constitute a new class of layered materials with potential uses that included electro-optic devices and frequency mixing devices. These device materials therefore are relevant to applications areas such as optical data storage and optical communications technologies, making possible educational benefits that lead to a better understanding at the undergraduate level of education of scientific and technological issues facing society. ***
