Chemistry REU Principal Investigators' Workshop

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With this award, funded by the Division of Chemistry, Professor Hongtao Yu of Jackson State University and his collaborators in the REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) Leadership Group will conduct a workshop for current REU site Principal Investigators and potential REU Site Principal Investigators (approximately 60 total invited participants) to discuss best practices in running effective REU sites. The REU Site Program represents a multimillion dollar effort by the Chemistry Division of the National Science Foundation to provide talented undergraduates the opportunity to engage with professors and other scientists in authentic research experiences. Many of these REU students do not have opportunities to engage in research in their home institutions. Running an effective REU site Program is challenging, and the workshop will provide opportunities for Principal Investigators to share strategies for making the REU experience as high-impact as possible for the student and faculty participants. Investment in this workshop will help to strengthen the impact of the significant investment of NSF resources into the REU Site Program. Prof. Yu and his colleagues will convene the workshop in the summer of 2015 in San Antonio, Texas. Objectives for the 2015 Workshop include: the bringing together of the Chemistry REU PI community to facilitate the exchange of ideas in formal and informal settings; the engagement of REU PIs in a discussion of critical issues in management of an REU site, including the recruitment of a diverse cohort, participant tracking, and training in research ethics; the engagement of REU PIs with other NSF communities (e.g. the LSAMP Community); a discussion of the unique issues related to working with Community College and non-traditional students. Participants at this workshop will learn skills and develop their professional networks, enabling them to be more effective leaders of undergraduate research efforts at their home institutions.