REU SITE: Professional Excellence and Development in Science Through Undergraduate Research

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The theme of this REU site proposal is "Professional Excellence and Development in Science Through Undergraduate Research." Attention will be focused on the recruitment of underrepresented minority students and students from nearby 2-Year Colleges (2YCs). All REU students will have access to a rigorous research experience that prepares them to enter into the competitive STEM fields. The individual student research projects are innovative, have the potential to yield publications that are transformative in their respective fields, and are quite capable of being completed by undergraduate students. The students involved in the research enterprise receive a full complement of experiences in literature review, hands-on training with modern chemical instrumentation, data analysis, and in the dissemination of results through group meetings and formal oral and poster presentations. The specific research projects span a wide range of areas that include designing electrochemical sensors, using ion-beam analysis techniques and lasers to study protein structure and protein dynamics, and designing and synthesizing anticancer agents. The research activities as well as the professional development activities will be used to help to form a cohesive community of research scholars equipped with the research skills needed to investigate current research problems that have local and global implications.Student activities for professional development have been refined to better serve the diverse career interests of students and to provide a broader base of mentors outside of academics via a Student Advisory Board consisting of professionals from local industry, medical doctors, and attorneys. The PI and co-PI have learned that the quality of mentoring, the availability of a diverse set of mentors, and the active building of professional skills such as public speaking, scientific writing and ethics discussions, greatly benefit students and help increase retention in the sciences. This REU experience will have a significant impact on underrepresented minority students and students at 2YC who do not have research experience opportunities at their home institution, in addition to enhancing diversity at Hope College. By providing access to significant professional development resources within their research cohort experience, students will be encouraged to pursue careers in the STEM fields.