REU Site: Puerto Rico Chemical Learning Integrated in Materials and Biomolecular applications (PR-CLIMB)

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This Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site is at the University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras, located in San Juan, PR, and is lead by Arthur Tinoco. It supports the training of 10 students for 9 weeks during the summers of 2018-2020. At this site, supported by the Division of Chemistry in the Mathematical and Physical Science Directorate, students engage in fundamental studies of materials and biomolecules for potential applications in water purification, energy storage, sensing, drug design, and drug delivery. Students further develop their skill sets for the biotechnology and pharmaceutical fields through seminars and hands-on workshops. Alongside scientific research, students take part in professional development seminars on topics including ethics in research, strategies for producing high quality research and public presentations, and funding opportunities for graduate work. Students also engage in discussions with professionals in academia and industry about their respective job fields. The participants are recruited from a diverse pool of students with an emphasis on students from two and four-year institutions with limited access to research opportunities. Students who participate in this nine-week program engage in fundamental exploratory efforts using state-of-the-art technology for chemical and/or computational characterization and for engineering materials and biomolecules for potential applications in the areas of water purification, energy storage, sensing, drug design, and drug delivery. The students work directly with advanced graduate students or postdoctoral researchers who serve as co-mentors alongside experienced faculty. Students also participate in workshops on topics such as high-resolution NMR spectroscopy, chromatography, peptide synthesis/purification/identification, X-ray characterization, electrochemistry, nanoparticle characterization and surface analysis. Participants take part in a series of seminars and develop science communication skills through oral and poster presentations on their research. Ultimately this site prepares students for graduate school and careers in Puerto Rico's pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.