REU Site: Undergraduate Research Opportunities in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

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This award from the Division of Chemistry (CHE) and the Division of Materials Research (DMR) supports a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site led by Sarah Larsen at the University of Iowa. The research projects supported in this site are in areas of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Undergraduates will be recruited to this site primarily from institutions that lack infrastructure to support undergraduate research, including students from underrepresented groups. The site will support ten students per summer in a ten week program. A sample of the projects that undergraduates will work on include: (1) the development of new synthetic routes to nanostructured inorganic catalysts; (2) the study of the applications and implications of nanoscience and nanotechnology in environmental processes; (3) the applications of nanocrystalline zeolites in environmental remediation, catalysis and drug delivery; (4) the production of self-sterilizing coatings using magnetic nanoparticles; (5) the study of the reactivity of nanoparticle iron minerals in water and soil and (6) the atomic-force microscopy study of single-crystal reactivity of organic nanocrystals. In addition to conducting research during the summer, the students participating in this program will participate in a number of professional development activities, including a technical communication workshop, a weekly seminar series, as well as additional formal and informal mentoring events.Young scientists need exposure to modern research methods and tools as part of their training. This REU site aims to provide cutting-edge research training in the chemical sciences, with a strong emphasis on nanoscience and nanotechnology, especially in its interaction with the environment. The diverse student cohort participating in research at this site will be well-prepared for graduate school, and eventual employment as part of the country's technical workforce.