"This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)."
The NSF funded Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC) for High-rate Nanomanufacturing (CHN) will host a three year REU site program. This REU site program includes the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML), Northeastern University (NEU), and the University of New Hampshire (UNH) which are equal partners in this NSEC. This NSEC is leveraging the expertise of the three partners to research and develop robust, high-rate, environmentally-benign nanomanufacturing techniques, and thereby ensuring rapid transfer of nanotechnology discoveries to industry.
This ten-week summer REU site program focused on nanomanufacturing research will support a total of ten undergraduate students, i.e., four at UML and three each of the partner institutions. This REU program is part of the CHN umbrella REU site which includes undergraduate researchers supported by (1) this REU site program, (2) CHN, and (3) other research awards at the three universities. This umbrella REU site will facilitate creation of sustainable infrastructure for undergraduate research at the three partner universities.
Each undergraduate student will be assigned a mentor, typically a graduate student or post-doctoral researcher working in an area closely related to the REU participant's research. The REU site program will also provide training for the students' mentors and program evaluation.
In order to enhance the research experience, undergraduate students will participate in social events and a cross-university professional development program. The professional development program includes an orientation to the REU program; safety training; extensive communication skills development which is necessary for professional careers (i.e., library skills, "Writing and Introduction", "Basics of PowerPoint", and "Technically Speaking"); and a strong ethics component. The ethics training will go beyond engineering ethics to include research integrity, business ethics, and the ethics of emerging nanotechnology, and value sensitive design. Finally, the at the end of the REU program participants will make presentations of their research project at the Museum of Science, Boston where they will have full access to the Museum to enjoy and comingle.
This REU site program will enhance recruiting of students from local community colleges and minority serving institutions. In particular, this project facilitates collaborative research between UML, NEU and UNH faculty and faculty at minority serving institutions.
