This award is to support the renewal of the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site program in the Physics Department at the University of Chicago. This program is distinctive in that it has been targeted particularly at attracting women and members of minority groups underrepresented in the physics community. Applications are solicited nationally with emphasis on historically black colleges and traditional women's colleges. The core of the program for each student is a well-defined 10 week summer research project under supervision of a University of Chicago faculty member. Projects are distributed among: high-energy, cosmic-ray and astrophysics, general relativity, condensed-matter physics, non-linear phenomena and biophysics. The program is structured to provide the selected interns not only with research training, but also with strong peer interactions. It allows them to be part of a cohort of diverse individuals interested in science. In addition, there is informal instruction, mentoring, and career counseling over a ten-week period each summer. Regular work on the individual student's research project is augmented by two scheduled lectures each week from faculty as well as by special field trips to Fermi National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory and Yerkes Observatory, and by informal and formal social activities. Informal mentoring and advising is provided by members of the faculty.
