REU Site: Interdisciplinary Application of Advanced Polymers for Engineering Innovations

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The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa REU Site in Polymers for Engineering Innovation will be driven by an intellectual focus on advanced polymer materials and interdisciplinary applications. In the early 21st Century, there has been a great deal of growth in fundamental polymer research and new industrial/commercial applications, such as additive manufacturing, biomedical/biological engineering, fuel cells, nanotechnology, stretchable electronics, and membrane separations. However, many undergraduate students still do not become directly acquainted with polymer science/engineering prior to graduation. An earlier introduction to polymer science research and applications can help ignite innovations that address some of the emerging challenges of national interest such as energy efficiency, green chemistry, and improved healthcare. Due to the interdisciplinary nature required within polymer science and engineering, the research opportunities within this REU Site will provide a diverse cohort of students with a broader perspective of techniques and problem solving approaches, as well as a deeper and more rigorous appreciation of future careers in research. An interdisciplinary team of faculty mentors has been assembled to help prepare a rich pipeline of young engineers that can contribute to current and emerging engineering challenges.This REU program is expected to yield many tangential outcomes beyond the direct technical impacts to the fields of polymer chemistry, material science, and engineering. First, acquiring fundamental knowledge of polymer chemistry will help leverage it to novel discovery of innovative solutions and will open up a variety of PhD-level research opportunities to the REU students in the future. Also, hands-on exposure to the various interdisciplinary projects will improve the students' ability to communicate to a broader community of researchers and the general public. This is particularly important training to help nurture them into future leaders and educators in science and engineering. This program will also educate the students about technology-transfer issues, entrepreneurship, polymer-based research applications in the private sector, and the leadership skills needed for long-term success by direct interaction with experts and young alumni working in the field. All of these impacts will be magnified with a special focus to recruit students from HBCUs and Hispanic-serving community colleges that are traditionally underrepresented or have limited access to resources.This site is supported by the Department of Defense in partnership with the NSF REU program.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.