REU Site: Polymer Science and Engineering at The University of Akron

非技术性总结在阿克伦大学（UA-REU）的REU网站的愿景，这是在2004年启动，是一个培育本科生的探索，教育和研究的学术环境。它将侧重于12个NSF支持的本科生在聚合物科学与工程领域的培训，每年夏天。该网站将让学生接触到令人兴奋的尖端聚合物教育和研究，从而启动对美国创新所需的下一代科学劳动力的培训。教师参与者通过涉及聚合物的基础知识，专业发展和研究技能的发展的多维方法指导REU学生。首先，将向学生提供高分子科学与工程的基础知识。其次，教师参与者将传授给REU学生的研究和创新所需的科学和工程技能。 第三，学生将接触到各种各样的教育，研究和职业机会，通过一个专业发展系列具有四个小组讨论的职业方向和道德，以及工业参观美国宇航局，固特异和其他当地公司，政府实验室和医院。所有的研究活动将与职业小组，研讨会和工业访问相结合，与网站的总体目标保持一致。教育部分包括一个密集的为期一周的系列讲座，描绘了聚合物科学与工程的基础知识和教师研究研讨会系列。多个学生主导的演讲旨在培养扎实的沟通技巧，以有效地口头传播他们的研究成果。这一经验预计将激发对STEM学科的热情，并增加数学，工程和科学，特别是聚合物科学和工程的传统，代表性不足和低收入学生的保留和推广。技术总结在阿克伦大学的REU网站将集中在12个NSF支持的培训，也有几个工业支持的本科生为11周，每年夏天在聚合物科学和工程的一般领域。该网站将是一个培育跨学科的学术环境，为本科生的研究和专业发展，旨在使学生在研究生学习和未来的研究生涯在干学科卓越。REU学生将接触到跨学科的研究项目，强调在聚合物科学和工程的前沿问题，是专门为本科生设计的研究经验有限。与UA-REU相关的活动旨在扩大学生对聚合物的知识和对他们研究的社会影响的理解。涉及REU学生的研究项目将涵盖聚合物科学与工程的四个广义集群领域：化学，物理，工程和生物材料。这些项目包括但不限于先进聚合物材料的合成（如生物可降解支架、离子交联聚合物、抗微生物聚合物、多功能水凝胶）;用于能量储存和水净化的材料制造（如固体电解质膜、混合分级贵金属、复合纳米纤维）;结构和动态特性（通过固态和溶液态核磁共振光谱（NMR）、质谱、小角X射线散射（SAXS）、原子力显微镜（AFM）、扫描电子显微镜（SEM））;通过分子动力学（MD）模拟的基于计算机的材料设计）。在计划结束时，学生将在与凯斯西储大学，美国宇航局和肯特州立大学的联合研讨会上介绍他们的研究工作。

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARYThe vision of the REU site at the University of Akron (UA-REU), which was initiated in 2004, is to be a nurturing academic environment for undergraduate exploration, education and research. It will focus on the training of 12 NSF-supported undergraduate students each summer in the area of Polymer Science and Engineering. The site will expose students to exciting cutting edge polymer education and research, thus initiating the training of the next generation of the scientific workforce needed to fuel innovation in the United States. The faculty participants mentor the REU students through a multidimensional approach involving fundamentals of polymers, professional development, and development of research skillsets. First, instruction in the fundamentals of Polymer Science and Engineering will be provided to the students. Second, the faculty participants will impart to the REU students the scientific and engineering skills required for research and innovation. Third, the students will be exposed to a wide variety of educational, research and career opportunities through a professional development series featuring four panel discussions on career directions and ethics, as well as industrial visits to NASA, Goodyear and other local companies, government laboratories, and hospitals. All research activities will be integrated with career panels, seminars, and industrial visits aligned with the overarching goals of the site. The educational components include an intensive one-week series of lectures delineating the fundamentals of Polymer Science and Engineering and a faculty research seminar series. The multiple student-led presentations are designed to develop solid communication skills for the effective oral dissemination of their research results. This experience is expected to stir enthusiasm for STEM disciplines, and increase the retention and promotion of traditional, underrepresented and low-income students in Mathematics, Engineering and Science, and in particular Polymer Science and Engineering. TECHNICAL SUMMARYThe REU site at the University of Akron will focus on the training of 12 NSF-supported and also several industrial supported undergraduate students for 11 weeks each summer in the general area of Polymer Science and Engineering. The site will be a nurturing interdisciplinary academic environment for undergraduate research and professional development designed towards enabling student excellence in graduate studies and future research careers in STEM disciplines. The REU students will be exposed to interdisciplinary research projects that emphasize problems at the frontiers of polymer science and engineering and that are specifically designed for undergraduate students with limited research experience. Activities associated with the UA-REU are designed to broaden the students' knowledge of polymers and comprehension of the societal implications of their research. 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 (such as biodegradable nanofiber scaffolds, ionically crosslinked polymers, antimicrobial polymers, multi-functional hydrogels); materials fabrication for energy storage and water purification (such as solid electrolyte membranes, hybrid hierarchical noble metals, composite nanofibers); structural and dynamic characterization (through solid- and solution-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), mass spectroscopy, small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM)); 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.