This award supports the renewal of an REU site in the Department of Physics of the University of California at Davis. The research mentors and potential projects come from all areas of the department: biophysics, condensed matter, computational physics, cosmology, nuclear, and high energy physics. Students are assigned to research labs based on their skills and stated interests. The program gives students views of physics not seen in typical coursework: first-hand experience of the joys and frustrations of research, and exposure to several types of physics careers. The students will benefit not only from their specific research projects but also from interactions with Davis faculty, graduate students, and other REU students; and from field trips showing physics-related work in diverse settings. At the end of the program, each participant gives a 15-minute research presentation and writes a short paper describing the work. There is a program of both formal and informal talks and discussions among the REU students and various faculty involved in the program. The REU site targets a mixed group of students, strongly encouraging applications from non-research institutions in northern California as well as selecting many participants from four-year colleges and universities across the nation.
