REU Site: Surface Engineering for Sensing, Energy and Nanoelectronics

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NON-TECHNICAL PART: At the Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) Site at the University of Texas at Dallas, each year ten talented undergraduates will perform research in surface engineering with applications in nanotechnology, energy, electronics and sensing. Their work will lead to new advances in areas of great economic and societal importance, including nanoelectronics, photovoltaics, catalysts, batteries, fuel cells, thermoelectrics, energy-harvesting systems, heat transfer systems, and sensors. Training students to perform research in these and related areas will help to maintain the competitiveness of the United States workforce. Recruitment will focus on women and students from under-represented groups, in particular those at institutions where research opportunities are limited. In Texas, women and minorities are significantly under-represented in higher education, so this program addresses a critical regional need. TECHNICAL PART: The Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) Site at the University of Texas at Dallas is focused on surface engineering with applications in nanotechnology, energy, electronics and sensing. Each year ten undergraduate students are recruited for a ten-week summer research experience, with recruitment focusing on women and students from under-represented groups and at institutions where research opportunities are limited. Research will be supervised by an interdisciplinary team of faculty from the Departments of Materials Science and Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. Student projects will include the development of Li ion batteries, new methods for semiconductor surface functionalization, advanced plasma processing of materials, new nanostructured porous materials, flexible electronics, organic hybrid solar cells, bottom-up methods for nanowire deposition, and the characterization and modeling of materials. In addition to participating in research, the REU fellows will attend an introductory short-course in surface engineering, research seminars from faculty and outside experts, and informal seminars on career planning and the ethics and business of science and engineering. They will also visit several local high-tech industries. At the end of each summer, Fellows will attend the annual American Vacuum Society Texas Chapter Conference and present their research.