Enhancing REU Programs through a Meeting of Chemistry PIs; San Antonio, TX, Summer 2009

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A workshop for Chemistry REU PIs will be organized by the REU Leadership Group (LG) to engage the collective experience of the chemistry community in a detailed assessment of the current state of affairs within the REU program and chart a path forward. The three day workshop will focus on four major themes, including: (1) an assessment of the REU Leadership Group; (2) evaluation of the REU program as a whole; (3) an assessment of efforts to involve under-represented minorities; and (4) a celebration of highly effective practices. The workshop will be organized and executed by a committee constituted by members of the Chemistry REU LG and lead by co-chairs Cynthia Larive (PI) and Timothy Hanks (Co-PI). The organizing committee will be responsible for all aspects of the workshop including site selection, pre-meeting communication with participants, execution of an effective workshop, preparation of a meeting report and its dissemination via the REU LG website. A short pre-workshop questionnaire will engage participants so that they begin thinking about the topics to be discussed prior to their arrival at the workshop, and facilitate presentation of overview data that describe general trends among the REU sites and the experiences of the site directors. The pre-workshop exercise will provide a voice to participants to share their views about important issues facing REU programs that may have been overlooked in the development of the workshop agenda and will permit their incorporation into the breakout sessions planned for the meeting. Presentations on "The View from NSF" and "REU Ethics Components" along with panel discussions on "Broadening Participation in REU Programs" and "Evaluating REU Sites and the REU Program" will inform participants on various aspects of effective undergraduate research practice and will set the stage for meaningful small group discussions. A key feature of the workshop will be three breakout sessions in which participants will convene in small groups to address specific questions related to the topics of broadening participation, evaluation of REU sites and the REU program, and assessment of the role and effectiveness of the LG. These small groups will report their findings to the assembled participants allowing for large group discussion and synthesis of ideas. The workshop presentations and recommendations will be summarized and complied in a report that will be distributed to the workshop participants and NSF principals, and disseminated broadly via the Internet.