REU Site: Collaborative Undergraduate Research in Energy (CURE) Program at UMass Amherst

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This award from the Division of Chemistry supports a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site at the University of Massachusetts for the summers of 2007-2009. The site director is Sankaran Thayumanavan. An interdisciplinary, collaborative research model is proposed with a focus on the chemical basis for renewable energy. The mentoring team will include twelve or more faculty from the departments of chemistry, chemical engineering, and polymer science and engineering. This ten-week program will target students who have had no prior or very little opportunity to pursue research, including those from underrepresented groups. Each participant will be paired with at least two faculty mentors to promote exposure to different perspectives. Student development activities include weekly sessions on research skills and career opportunities, lectures on topics in renewable energy, and student debates on energy issues. Assessment will be carried out by the University of Massachusetts' Office of Academic Assessment and will include small focus groups, summative surveys, and the long-term tracking of the career paths of students after their completion of the UMass program.