REU SITE: POLYMER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON

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ID: 1359321 PI: Tsige, Mesfin ORG: University of AkronTitle: REU Site: Polymer Science and Engineering at the University of AkronTECHNICAL DESCRIPTIONThis REU Site (UA-REU) will focus on the training of 12 NSF-supported undergraduate students for 12 weeks each summer in the general area of Polymer Science and Engineering. Despite the increased utilization of polymers across scientific disciplines, specialized curricula covering polymers are often neglected as a component of undergraduate STEM education. This Site will expose students to cutting edge polymer education and research that will help to bridge the competitive gap in the workforce needed to fuel innovation in the United States. Special efforts will be made to recruit a diverse group of students, especially those from educational institutions that offer few opportunities for undergraduate research. Activities associated with the UA-REU are designed to broaden the students' knowledge of polymers with significant efforts made to ensure students comprehend the societal implications of their research. These include innovative short courses on polymers led by faculty experts, trips to local polymer industry to tour facilities, career panels including participation from small and large companies and government, and entrepreneurship and innovation workshops. Research projects involving REU students will cover the breadth of Polymer Science and Engineering in four generalized cluster areas: Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, and Biomaterials. Such projects include, but are not limited to, synthesis of advanced polymer materials, materials fabrication for energy storage and water purification, structural and dynamic polymer characterization, and computer-based design of materials through molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. At the conclusion of the program, students will present their research work at a joint symposium with Case Western Reserve University, NASA, and Kent State University.NON-TECHNICAL DESCRIPTIONThe vision of this REU site is to be a nurturing academic environment for undergraduate exploration, education, and research. It will focus primarily on the training of 12 undergraduate students each summer in the area of Polymer Science and Engineering. The REU students will be exposed to interdisciplinary research projects that emphasize problems at the frontiers of polymer science and engineering that are specifically designed to take into account the limited research experience of REU students. The faculty participants mentor the REU students through a multidimensional approach involving facets associated with polymer fundamentals, professional development, and development of research skillsets. The professional development components include an intensive one-week series of lectures about the fundamentals of Polymer Science and Engineering and a faculty research seminar series. Multiple student-led presentations are designed to develop solid communication skills for the effective oral dissemination of their research results. This REU site, which was initiated in 2004, will continue to bring a diverse and highly motivated group of traditional, underrepresented, and low-income students to the University of Akron.