Research on the Prairies: Undergraduate Training in the Molecular Sciences

该奖项由北达科他州立大学化学系（CHE）颁发，支持由Erika Offerdahl和Mukund Sibi领导的本科生研究经验（REU）网站。该网站支持的研究项目涉及化学的广泛领域，并以“分子科学”为统一主题。该网站将从缺乏资源支持本科生研究的本科院校招收学生，重点招收主要来自本科院校的女学生。每年夏天，该网站将为10名学生提供为期10周的暑期课程。研究人员将开展的项目包括：(1)使用对环境无害的铟和铋催化剂进行不对称烯丙化；(2)确保基因组维持和防止细胞异常生长的保守分子机制的研究；(3)水纳米腔内光化学的控制；(4)学生生物化学学习的研究；(5)用于太阳能电池和电子显示器的新型共轭材料的合成和研究；(6)双功能催化设计模板的探索。除了在夏季进行研究外，参加该计划的学生还将参加一些专业发展活动，包括提供化学品安全和使用化学文献培训的讲习班。学生将有很多机会在各种环境中展示他们的成果，包括现场的本科生研究研讨会。作为培训的一部分，年轻科学家需要接触现代研究方法和工具。该REU网站旨在为没有重要研究经验的学生提供在专门的教师导师指导下进行化学科学前沿研究的机会。在这里参与研究的不同学生群体将为在化学科学和研究生院的进一步学习做好充分准备，并最终成为该国技术劳动力的一部分。

This award from the Division of Chemistry (CHE) supports a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site led by Erika Offerdahl and Mukund Sibi at North Dakota State University. The research projects supported in this site are in a wide range of areas of chemistry, with the unifying theme of "Molecular Science." Students will be recruited to this site from undergraduate institutions that lack the resources to support undergraduate research, with a focus on the recruitment of female students from primarily undergraduate institutions. Each summer, the site will support 10 students in a ten-week per summer program. A sample of the projects that researchers will work on include: (1) the use of environmentally benign indium and bismuth catalysts for asymmetric allylation; (2) the study of the conserved molecular mechanisms that ensure genome maintenance and prevent abnormal cell growth; (3) the control of photochemistry within nanocavities in water; (4) the study of student learning in biochemistry; (5) the synthesis and study of new conjugated materials for solar cells and electronic displays and (6) the exploration of designer templates for bifunctional catalysis. In addition to conducting research during the summer, the students participating in this program will participate in a number of professional development activities, including workshops providing training in chemical safety and in using the chemical literature. Students will have numerous opportunities to present their results in a variety of settings, including an Undergraduate Research Symposium on-site.Young scientists need exposure to modern research methods and tools as part of their training. This REU site aims to provide students without significant research experience a chance to conduct cutting-edge research in the chemical sciences with dedicated faculty mentors. The diverse student cohort participating in research at this site will be well-prepared for further study in the chemical sciences, and graduate school, with eventual employment as part of the country's technical workforce.