UMN MRSEC REU Site in Nanomaterials

技术摘要：明尼苏达大学材料研究科学与工程中心（MRSEC）感谢美国国家科学基金会材料研究部对UMN MRSEC纳米材料REU站点的资助。REU网站将把来自全国四年制大学、少数民族服务机构和地区社区学院的有才华的本科生带到UMN校园，进行为期10周的密集研究体验。UMN MRSEC由四个跨学科研究小组（irg）组成，解决各种“软”到“硬”材料的紧迫问题：聚合物、有机电子、磁性材料和纳米颗粒。MRSEC的教师和学生分布在六个不同的科学和工程部门，确保所有参与者都能获得特别广泛的跨学科体验。研究顾问/导师代表了一个吸引人的混合初级，高级和中期职业教师；他们都是各自领域公认的领导者。本科生研究训练包括三个基本和必不可少的要素：(i)提供一个独立的深入研究项目，这是大多数学生在本国院校无法获得的；（ii）在学生参与者和与他们一起工作的教师、研究生和博士后之间建立有效的多层次指导关系；（iii）提高学生为研究生院做准备所需的技能（技术写作、口头陈述、道德问题、GRE实践），同时为本科生提供研究生院经历的现实预览。非技术摘要：明尼苏达大学材料研究科学与工程中心（MRSEC）感谢美国国家科学基金会材料研究部对UMN MRSEC纳米材料REU站点的资助。UMN MRSEC由四个跨学科研究小组（irg）组成，解决各种“软”到“硬”材料的紧迫问题：聚合物、有机电子、磁性材料和纳米颗粒。REU/RET项目将为材料科学与工程领域提供高质量的研究和教育经验，主要面向研究机会有限的本科院校的学生（前一次获奖的参与者占64%），以及主要来自双子城大都市区的高中教师。通过与四年制和两年制大学以及少数民族服务机构的长期合作，该中心在将女性和未被充分代表的群体成员（分别为49%和38%，在之前的REU奖中，dmr0754792）纳入这些活动中表现出了持续和不断增长的成功。MRSEC研究固有的跨学科性质对于培养下一代科学家和工程师以及确保美国的竞争力尤为重要。我们设想这一综合计划，在其范围和执行上，作为一种应对许多挑战的手段，这些挑战是由美国国家科学院在其1997年出版的《超越风暴》一书中讨论的科学和工程教育状况评估提出的

TECHNICAL SUMMARY:The University of Minnesota, Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) acknowledges the support of the Division of Materials Research of the National Science Foundation for funding of the UMN MRSEC REU Site in Nanomaterials. The REU Site will bring talented undergraduates from a national network of four-year colleges, Minority-Serving Institutions, and regional Community Colleges to the UMN campus for an intensive 10-week research experience. The UMN MRSEC comprises four Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs) addressing pressing problems over a wide range of "soft" to "hard" materials: polymers, organic electronics, magnetic materials, and nanoparticles. MRSEC faculty and students are based in six different science and engineering departments, assuring a particularly broad and interdisciplinary experience for all the participants. The research advisors/mentors represent an appealing blend of junior, senior, and mid-career faculty; all are acknowledged leaders in their fields. Undergraduate research training is comprised of three fundamental and essential elements: (i) providing an independent intensive research project unavailable for most at their home institutions; (ii) developing effective multi-tiered mentoring relationships between student participants and faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows with whom they work; and (iii) enhancing those skills students need in preparation for graduate school (technical writing, oral presentation, ethical issues, GRE practice), while providing undergraduate students with a realistic preview of the graduate school experience.NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: The University of Minnesota, Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) acknowledges the support of the Division of Materials Research of the National Science Foundation for funding of the UMN MRSEC REU Site in Nanomaterials. The UMN MRSEC comprises four Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs) addressing pressing problems over a wide range of "soft" to "hard" materials: polymers, organic electronics, magnetic materials, and nanoparticles. The REU/RET program will provide high-quality research and education experiences in Materials Science and Engineering, primarily to students from undergraduate institutions with limited research opportunities (64% of participants for previous award), and to high school teachers principally from the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The Center has demonstrated consistent and growing success at including women and members of underrepresented groups (49% and 38% respectively, in the previous REU award, DMR-0754792) in these activities, enabled by long-term partnerships with four- and two-year colleges, and Minority Serving Institutions. The inherently interdisciplinary nature of MRSEC research is particularly important for training the next generation of scientists and engineers and assuring U.S. competitiveness. We envision this comprehensive program, in both its scope and execution, as a means of meeting many of the challenges set forth by the National Academy of Sciences assessment of the state of science and engineering education discussed in its 1997 publication, Rising Above the Gathering Storm