REU Site: Research Experience for Undergraduates at Western Washington University

由James Spiegel教授领导的化学系(CHE)的这一续展奖项将支持西华盛顿大学化学系的本科生研究经验(REU)网站，为期三个夏天。这项REU计划每年夏天为8名来自社区学院和学生研究机会有限的小型四年制大学的本科生提供为期10周的支持。外部资助的研究与本科生集中参与研究项目相结合，形成了一个让REU参与者参与有意义的暑期研究体验的环境。REU参与者可以从三个主要化学领域之一选择一个研究项目：生物化学、合成化学和材料化学。这个REU网站更广泛的影响是为那些接触化学研究有限的本科生提供真实的研究体验。在招募的参与者中，重点放在社区学院和阿拉斯加大学系统中代表性较低的少数群体，导致该计划的学生群体多样化，这有助于增加科学劳动力的多样性。此外，将社区大学生纳入REU项目还会产生额外的影响，鼓励这些学生将研究生院视为一种教育机会。资金充足、前沿研究和本科生参与研究相结合，为外部本科生参与暑期研究体验创造了一个出色的环境。REU参与者可以从三个主要化学领域中选择一个项目：生物化学(蛋白质结构、蛋白质折叠和设计、DNA修饰的生物物理学)、合成化学(有机方法开发、天然产物合成、小分子活化)和材料化学(太阳能聚光器、多相催化、离子液体、纳米材料)。除了为整个区域研究小组参与者举办的许多正式和非正式活动外，这些分区小组还提供专门针对研究领域的额外培训，包括讲习班和联合小组会议。暑期计划的高潮是一个研讨会，在研讨会上，REU的参与者除了来自三个研究领域的主旨演讲者外，还就他们的研究项目进行了海报演示。

This renewal award from the Division of Chemistry (CHE) led by Professors James Spiegel will supports a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site in the Department of Chemistry at Western Washington University for three summers. This REU program supports eight undergraduate students for 10 weeks each summer from community colleges and small four-year universities with limited student research opportunities. The combination of externally funded research with the central involvement of undergraduate students in research projects results in an environment where REU participants are involved in meaningful summer research experiences. REU participants are able to choose a research project from one of three main areas of chemistry: biochemistry, synthetic chemistry and materials chemistry. The broader impacts of this REU site are to provide undergraduate students who have limited access to chemistry research with an authentic research experience. Among the recruited participants, an emphasis is placed on underrepresented minorities from community colleges and the University of Alaska system, resulting in a diverse population of students in this program, which contributes to increasing the diversity of the scientific workforce. Furthermore, the incorporation of community college students into an REU program has an additional impact by encouraging these students to consider graduate school as an educational opportunity.The combination of well-funded, cutting-edge research, and the involvement of undergraduate students in research, results in an outstanding environment for external undergraduate students to be involved in a summer research experience. REU participants are able to choose a project from one of three main areas of chemistry: biochemistry (protein structure, protein folding and design, biophysics of DNA modification), synthetic chemistry (organic method development, natural product synthesis, small molecule activation), and materials chemistry (solar concentrators, heterogeneous catalysis, ionic liquids, nanomaterials). In addition to numerous formal and informal activities for the entire group of REU participants, these divisional groups provide additional training that is specific to the research area, including workshops and combined group meetings. The culmination of the summer program is a symposium in which REU participants give poster presentations on their research projects in addition to keynote speakers from each of the three research areas.