This award supports a 9 week summer research program in Physics and Astronomy at the University of Oklahoma (OU) to provide undergraduates with an opportunity to participate in substantial scientific research in one of four areas: astrophysics, condensed matter, atomic and molecular physics, or high energy physics. Approximately nine external students will be funded by the REU site award and at least four OU students will be funded by the University of Oklahoma each year. External students will be recruited nationally with emphasis on underrepresented groups and participants who otherwise lack opportunities for research experience. The program will build upon our previous success in introducing students of diverse backgrounds to modern research in an engaging setting. One primary goal is to have the students bridge the gap from student to scientist by having the student perform substantive, consequential research mentored daily by a faculty member in an area in which the student is keenly interested, having all participants take part in a semiweekly seminar series with strong emphasis on student participation and interaction with faculty and graduate students, and participation in a series of voluntary courses, field The program can have a broader impact from the effort to recruit students from smaller regional schools that do not have active research. From the coupling of the undergraduate program to a Research Experience for Teachers program, teachers are encouraged to see how their efforts pay off in undergraduate excitement and help students see the importance of high school and middle school science teaching. The student research presentations will be developed into materials the teachers can present in their own classrooms. This project is co-funded by the Mathematical and Physical Science Directorate's Office of Multidisciplinary Activities and Physics Division.
