REU Site: Research Experience for Undergraduates in the Grand Challenges of Chemistry

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This Chemistry Division award supports a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site at Furman University for the summers of 2007-2009. Timothy Hanks of Furman University is the site's Program Director. Ten students will be supported each summer in a ten-week program. Ten Furman faculty members along with visiting faculty from regional partner institutions will serve as the REU mentors. The partner institutions include an HBCU, a technical college, and small community colleges. Priority will be given to students (particularly members of underrepresented groups) who otherwise might not have research opportunities. Each visiting faculty member will be accompanied by 1 or 2 students (for a total of 5 visiting students) each summer. The visiting faculty/student teams will collaborate with a Furman faculty/student team on research projects of mutual interest. In addition to research, each summer will feature a structured educational program focusing on a Grand Challenge in Chemistry as well as a professional outreach project. Student development will be monitored through several tools, including electronic portfolios. The latter will be designed not only to help mentors and the Program Director to assess the effectiveness of REU program components, but also to help students to develop research and communication skills. A unique feature of this site is the commitment by the Furman mentors to work with the visiting partner institutions to improve their research infrastructures.