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

这个为期三年的研究经验为本科生（REU）网站奖刘易斯堡学院（FLC）在杜兰戈，CO将支持美国原住民本科生的研究经验，重点围绕能源，推进和环境。 美国原住民学者沿着通往博士学位的道路面临着独特而严重的障碍。将美国原住民学生从本科学者转变为学者和研究人员的一个越来越大的挑战是很难获得着名研究生课程的录取。这个REU计划旨在增加美国原住民学生的技能组合与研究经验沿着与密集的指导。参与者将在FLC教师的指导下参与刘易斯堡学院的相关研究;他们随后将转入传统的R1 REU暑期课程。这些经验，除了在R1机构形成的关系，将增加他们的研究生院申请的竞争力。作为一个公共的主要是本科院校与外部资助的本科研究的成功历史，FLC是唯一有资格为这个程序。该学院拥有强大的本科研究计划，高素质的教师深深地投入到学生的成功中。 指定的研究项目集中在能源，这是全球经济和生态中最关键的因素之一。拟议的研究旨在通过发展燃烧中的激光诊断来进一步了解临界能量和推进过程，为建模者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，分子能量转移和液相分子动力学。 该REU计划的更广泛影响是双重的。第一，直接增加了代表性不足的群体对科学研究的参与。该计划旨在最终增加授予美洲原住民的博士学位数量。美国原住民学生将有机会进行本科研究，同时将理论付诸现实。FLC是一个为美国原住民服务的非部落机构，其历史使命是在文科框架内教育美国原住民。FLC在美国原住民全日制本科生中排名第四，但在授予原住民的学士学位STEM学位中排名第一。第二，所产生的数据将传播给更广泛的研究界。这将对能源、推进和环境领域的科学知识产生持久的影响。该奖项反映了NSF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 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.