REU Site: Enriching the Undergraduate Research Experience for Native American Students

这项为期三年的本科生研究经验(REU)现场奖授予位于科罗拉多州杜兰戈的刘易斯堡学院(FLC)，将为专注于能源、推进和环境的美洲原住民本科生提供研究经验支持。美国原住民学者在获得博士学位的道路上面临着独特而严重的障碍。将美国原住民学生从本科生转变为学者和研究人员面临的一个日益严峻的挑战是，很难获得著名的研究生项目的录取。这项REU计划旨在增加美洲原住民学生的技能组合，这些学生具有研究经验和密集的指导。参与者将在FLC教员的指导下参与路易斯堡学院的相关研究；他们随后将转到传统的R1 REU暑期项目。这些经验，加上在R1院校形成的关系，将增加他们申请研究生院的竞争力。作为一家以本科为主的公立院校，FLC在外部资助的本科研究方面有着成功的历史，是该项目唯一有资格的机构。该学院拥有强大的本科生研究计划，拥有一支致力于学生成功的高素质教职员工。指定的研究项目集中在能源方面，能源是全球经济和生态中更关键的因素之一。这项拟议的研究旨在通过发展燃烧中的激光诊断技术来进一步了解关键能量和推进过程，为建模人员提供关键的实验数据，开发监测核反应堆的创新技术，并研究新形式的推进、分子能量转移和液态分子动力学。这一REU计划的更广泛影响是双重的。首先，直接增加了代表不足的群体对科学研究的参与。该项目旨在最终增加授予美洲原住民的博士数量。美国原住民学生将有机会进行本科生研究，同时将理论付诸实践。FLC是一个为美洲原住民服务的非部落机构，肩负着在文科框架内教育美国原住民的历史使命。FLC在全日制美洲原住民本科生中排名第四，但在授予美洲原住民的学士学位STEM学位方面排名第一。其次，产生的数据将传播给更广泛的研究界。这将对科学知识体系产生持久的影响，特别是在能源、推进和环境领域。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This three-year Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site award to Fort Lewis College (FLC) in Durango, CO will support research experiences for Native Americans undergraduate students focused around energy, propulsion and the environment. Native American scholars face unique and serious obstacles along the path to the Ph.D. One increasing challenge to converting Native American students from undergraduate scholars to academics and researchers is the difficulty of gaining admissions into prestigious graduate programs. This REU program aims to increase the skill portfolio of Native American students with research experiences along with intensive mentoring. Participants will be involved in relevant research at Fort Lewis College under the mentorship of FLC faculty; they will later transfer to a traditional R1 REU summer program. These experiences, in addition to the relationships formed at the R1 institutions, will increase the competitiveness of their graduate school application. As a public primarily undergraduate institution with a successful history of externally funded undergraduate research, FLC is uniquely qualified for this program. The college has a robust undergraduate research program with a high quality faculty deeply invested in student success. The designated research projects are focused around energy which is one of the more critical factors in both the global economy and ecology. The proposed research aims to further understanding of critical energy and propulsion processes by development of laser diagnostics in combustion, providing critical experimental data to modelers, develop innovative techniques to monitor nuclear reactors and investigate new forms of propulsion, molecular energy transfer and liquid phase molecular dynamics. The broader impacts of this REU program are twofold. Firstly, participation of underrepresented groups in scientific research is directly increased. The program is designed to ultimately increase the number of PhDs awarded to Native Americans. Native American students will be provided the opportunity to perform undergraduate research while bringing theory into reality. FLC is a Native American-Serving, Non-Tribal institution with an historic mission to educate the nation's Native Americans within a liberal arts framework. FLC ranks 4th in the nation in percent of full-time Native American undergraduates but first in baccalaureate STEM degrees awarded to Native Americans. Secondly, data generated will be disseminated to the wider research community. This will lead to a lasting impact on the body of scientific knowledge specifically in the area of energy, propulsion and the environment.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.