This award supports the REU site in Spectroscopy at Coe College, sponsored jointly by the Physics and Chemistry departments, which continues a tradition of strong interaction with undergraduate students pursuing high-level, publishable research. The REU students will carry out research in glass science, optics, environmental chemistry, molecular biology, acoustics, and biomaterials, all under the common focus of spectroscopy. They will be exposed and trained in a variety of techniques, including FTIR, Raman, NMR, SEM, absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies, SPM, x-ray fluorescence, calorimetry, and others. The projects are designed to be suitable for undergraduates, but also challenging and leading to results of interest to external researchers. This year the site has added a Research Experience for Teachers component to the REU site to support k-12 teachers in seven weeks of summer research. This site is supported by the Divisions of Physics and Materials Research in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences, and is co-funded by the Department of Defense in partnership with the NSF REU program.
From the standpoint of intellectual merit, the REU students involved in our site trained and carried out research in glass science, optics, molecular biology, acoustics, modeling, and biomaterials, all under the common focus of spectroscopy. They were trained in a variety of advanced scientific techniques, including infrared light spectroscopy, Raman, nuclear magnetic resonance (similar to MRI), scanning electron microscopy, absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies, scanning probe microscopies, x-ray fluorescence, calorimetry, and others. In one project, for instance, one REU student filmed molten glass beads at temperatures near 2000 C (about 3200 F), and then analyzed the images to calculate the density as a function of temperature. In the biomaterials project, REU students sequenced proteins from seaworms, and related the results to Raman spectra. From the standpoint of Broader Impacts, the most immediate impact was the scientific training of students that go through the REU site. Our target group has always been students from rural backgrounds who attend small colleges (typically close to their homes) offering little or no research opportunities. Many of these students are the first generation in their family to attend college, and have rarely thought of a science career. Coe science faculty have shown their ability to work productively with undergraduates. We finally note that training students in spectroscopy has become ever more relevant to national and homeland security. A cadre of scientists well-trained in a variety of spectroscopic techniques is likely to be a necessity in many government agencies, and even at the local level. Regarding outcomes for the award, let us start with the students: we have trained 21 students in various spectroscopic techniques, as well as 6 high school teachers. The teachers also benefitted from exposure to state of the art research, and brought back experience and new ideas to their classroom (we were even able to outfit one teacher with the ability to do some simple DNA sequencing in her high school!). From the scientific side, we can summarize the achievements over the last few years. In glass science, REU students and RET teachers were able to probe the structure of various glass families, with a special emphasis on what happens when the glasses are heated. In optics, the work spanned changes in glasses when laser light hits them, to excellent progress on the development of glass detectors for particle physics and medical applications, to the analysis of levitated glasses at very high temperaturesm, and finally the use of laser light to remove and analyze parts of the glass structure. The work on biomaterials included the sequencing of proteins made by seaworms that are able to manufacture cement underwater (for the construction of their habitats). Recent work in biology looked at the role of glial cells on the inflammation of the brain, with clear medical applications. In chemistry, REU students worked on developing computer models that accurately reproduce the structure of glass at short distances (the size of molecules). In our acoustics work, students were able to develop models to explain why musical instruments make certain sounds (looking at, for instance, the role of walls). All in all, the REU students and teachers were able to carry out high end research, leading to presentations and papers that advance scientific knowledge in a variety of areas.
