REU Site: Physics at Kansas State University - Interactions of Matter, Light and Learning

该奖项支持堪萨斯州立大学物理学本科生研究经验（REU）网站。该网站每年邀请12名学生在暑期与教师导师一起进行重要的研究项目和相关经验。广泛的项目可供本科生参与最先进的研究。体验真正的科学是什么样子有助于参与者对职业、研究生工作和/或专业学校做出更明智的决定。无论他们选择继续从事物理或相关技术领域，还是选择转到不同的领域，聪明的学生在职业生涯早期做出正确的选择都符合国家利益。学生将研究原子和分子在强烈和超快的光学和x射线脉冲中的行为，激光冷却原子的精密光谱学，光在光纤中的非线性相互作用，溶液中纳米粒子的性质，以及简化模型下的蛋白质自组装。他们将帮助建立下一代高能粒子探测硬件，改进中微子振荡的测量，并帮助教师使用基于研究的评估工具。这些经验将由一系列讲座补充，为这些学生开展项目提供所需的背景知识。参与者将获得向各种受众解释他们的研究工作的经验，还将阅读和讨论科学中的道德行为。社会活动，无论是有组织的还是自发的，都将丰富我的本科研究经历。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award supports the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site in Physics at Kansas State University. The site engages twelve students per year in significant research projects and related experiences during the summer with faculty mentors. A wide range of projects are available that involve undergraduates in state-of-the-art research. The experience of what real science is like helps the participants make better informed decisions about careers, graduate work and/or professional school. Whether they choose to continue in physics or a related technical field, or choose to move to a different area, bright students making good choices early in their careers is in the national interest.Students will do research on how atoms and molecules behave in intense and ultra-fast optical and x-ray pulses, precision spectroscopy in laser-cooled atoms, how light interacts non-linearly in optical fibers, the properties of nanoparticles in solution, and protein self-assembly with simplified models. They will help build next generation hardware for high-energy particle detection, improve measurements of neutrino oscillations, and help faculty use research-based assessment tools. This experience will be supplemented by a series of lectures that provide the background these students need to carry out their projects. The participants will gain experience in explaining their research work to a variety of audiences and will also read about and discuss ethical behavior in science. Social activities, both organized and spontaneous, will enrich this undergraduate research experience.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.