REU Site: Undergraduate Inquiry at the Forefront of Energy, Environmental, and Biochemical Research

该本科生研究经验（REU）网站奖授予位于明尼苏达州明尼阿波利斯市的明尼苏达大学双城分校，支持在2019-2021年夏季对10名学生进行10周的培训。在这个由数学和物理科学理事会化学部资助的项目中，参与者在一所主要的研究型大学使用顶级设施和仪器解决一些社会重要的生化、能源和环境问题。参与者的研究经验得到广泛的实践培训和指导的补充。所有参与者都要发表他们的暑期研究报告，参加一个夏末研究研讨会，并有机会在国家化学会议上展示他们的工作。专业发展是通过参观当地工业或政府实验室和每周为所有研究员举办的关于道德、有效的口头和书面沟通以及职业机会的联合午餐来促进的。为了增加项目在参与者中的影响力和社区意识，鼓励本科生自愿参加一个拓展项目，让孩子们有机会在当地社区图书馆进行动手化学实验。个人研究项目涵盖了广泛的化学研究，包括用于小分子活化和功能化的多金属催化剂，分子系统的结构和反应性建模，蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用研究，以及可再生资源嵌段聚合物的合成和自组装。该计划的招生工作重点是吸引代表性不足的少数民族和经济状况不佳的学生，并鼓励参与者考虑在化学相关领域从事职业。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 Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site award to the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, located in Minneapolis, MN, supports the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2019-2021. In this program, funded by the Division of Chemistry in the Mathematical and Physical Science Directorate, participants work on addressing some of society's important biochemical, energy, and environmental problems at a major research university using top facilities and instrumentation. The participants' research experiences are supplemented with extensive hands-on training and mentoring. All participants deliver presentations on their summer research, participate in an end-of-summer research symposium, and have an opportunity to present their work at a national chemistry meeting. Professional development is fostered by a visit to a local industrial or government laboratory and by weekly joint luncheons for all fellows with topics on ethics, effective oral and written communication, and career opportunities. To increase the program's impact and sense of community among the participants, undergraduate students are encouraged to volunteer for an outreach program that gives children the opportunity to perform hands-on chemistry experiments at local community libraries.The individual research projects encompass a wide range of chemical research, including multimetallic catalysts for small-molecule activation and functionalization, modeling structure and reactivity in molecular systems, studying protein-protein interactions, and synthesis and self-assembly of renewable resource block polymers. This program's recruitment effort places an emphasis on attracting underrepresented minority and economically disadvantaged students and encouraging participants to consider careers in chemistry-related fields.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.