The US/France REU Site in Chemistry

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This joint award from the Chemistry Education Program and the Western Europe Program, Office of International Science and Engineering, supports the continuation of an international Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site at the University of Florida. Randolph Duran and Michael Scott provide leadership for the site. Over twenty faculty from French institutions are available to serve as REU mentors for U.S. students. During the award period (2004-2007), each summer ten students will travel to France to participate in a 10-12 week program at a French research institution, including Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, University Montpellier, CNRS National Laboratory, and University of Strasbourg. Through French funding, a similar number of French students, recruited from the same institutions, will be doing summer research at the University of Florida. Recruitment for REU student researchers will extend nationwide. The research topics for the students will center on materials chemistry. A mid-program science workshop will afford students the opportunity to hear one or two lectures on a focused topic and to interact scientifically. Student participants will conclude the program with a project summary presentation at the French institution where the research is being done and a science workshop at the University of Florida the following fall. By participating in this international REU site, the undergraduates will see research performed in a different manner and within a different cultural context from the traditional U.S. model. An enhanced evaluation of the program will be a longitudinal study via interviews and surveys aimed at examining the impact the international experience has on students' career choices and cultural attitudes. A chemistry faculty member from Lincoln University will also spend the summer in France to facilitate the students' integration into their host research group and serve as a mentor.