REU Site: Characterization of Advanced Materials

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Washington State University's Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site on "Characterization of Advanced Materials" has been in operation since 1999. Faculty from Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, and Chemical Engineering design projects suitable for undergraduate students each summer. These projects use advanced materials characterization techniques such as electron microscopy, scanning probe microscopy, and other methods to understand the relationships between the processing, structure and properties of materials. Eleven undergraduate students including freshmen and sophomores from a wide variety of disciplines and schools are recruited nationwide every year for a ten-week summer research experience, coupled with a short overview tutorial on the breadth of techniques to be used by the student researchers. The Site also adds new faculty members over its life to encourage starting faculty to provide significant undergraduate research experiences. In addition, students attend a short series of workshops on the use of the various characterization instruments and tools. Students present their work in a campus wide poster session at the end of the summer. This site is co-funded by the Department of Defense in partnership with the NSF REU program and the NSF Division of Materials Research in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate.