REU Site: Integrated Science For Society (IS2)

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This REU Site award to Boston College, located in Boston, MA, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2017 - 2019. This project is supported by the Divisions of Biological Infrastructure (DBI) and Chemistry (CHE). Projects will generally pair students from different disciplines to collaborate on solving fundamental science problems with an impact on society. These include understanding the growth of neurons, generating clean energy from water, identifying proteins responsible for infectious disease, developing nano-structures for the brain, and making interfaces for quantum computation. These projects include mentors from the physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and psychology departments. The program will include training in user facilities, graduate school preparation, and oral/written communication. Potential participants should submit an application electronically including: a resume, college transcript, two letters of recommendation, and indication of research interests, career goals, prior experience, and preferred project. Participant selection will be conducted by the PI and Co-PI in consultation with faculty mentors. Emphasis will be placed on students interested in integrated science with an impact on society. It is anticipated the program will train a total of 30, primarily underrepresented minority and first generation college students from schools with limited research opportunities. The REU will provide training by technical staff in user facilities, scientific communication, and will include student seminars with feedback and preparation for taking the GRE. Students will thus receive professional and scientific skills training, including opportunities to present their research at professional conferences. Combined with networkng activities and suite living, these experiences will give students a sense of belonging in STEM, along with individual and scientific growth.A common web-based assessment tool used by all REU programs funded by the Division of Biological Infrastructure (Directorate for Biological Sciences) will be used to determine the effectiveness of the training program. Participants will be tracked after the program in order to determine student career paths. Students will be asked to respond to an automatic email sent via the NSF reporting system. More information about the program is available by visiting http://reu.bc.edu, or by contacting the PI (Dr. Burch at ks.burch@bc.edu) or the co-PI (Dr. Lowery at laura.lowery@bc.edu).