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

这份REU网站提案的主题是“通过本科生研究实现科学专业的卓越与发展”。将重点关注招收代表不足的少数族裔学生和附近两年制学院(2YC)的学生。所有REU学生都将有机会获得严谨的研究经验，为他们进入竞争激烈的STEM领域做好准备。个别学生的研究项目是创新的，有可能产生在各自领域具有变革性的出版物，并且很有能力由本科生完成。参与研究企业的学生在文献回顾、使用现代化学仪器的实践培训、数据分析以及通过小组会议和正式口头和海报演示传播结果方面获得了全面的经验。具体的研究项目涉及广泛的领域，包括设计电化学传感器，使用离子束分析技术和激光研究蛋白质结构和蛋白质动力学，以及设计和合成抗癌剂。研究活动以及专业发展活动将被用来帮助形成一个由研究学者组成的具有凝聚力的社区，他们具备调查具有本地和全球影响的当前研究问题所需的研究技能。学生专业发展活动已得到改进，以更好地服务于学生的不同职业兴趣，并通过一个由当地行业专业人士、医生和律师组成的学生咨询委员会，提供更广泛的学术以外的导师基础。国际和平研究所和共同国际和平研究所了解到，辅导的质量、提供不同的导师以及积极培养专业技能，如公开演讲、科学写作和伦理讨论，极大地造福了学生，并有助于增加对科学的保留。除了加强希望学院的多样性外，这种REU经验还将对代表人数不足的少数族裔学生和2YC的学生产生重大影响，这些学生在自己的母校没有研究经验机会。通过提供在其研究队列经验范围内获得重要专业发展资源的途径，学生将被鼓励在STEM领域追求职业生涯。

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.