REU Site: Frontiers of Materials Chemistry

该REU网站奖授予位于德克萨斯州奥斯汀的德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校，支持在2019-2021年夏季对10名学生进行为期10周的培训。该网站由国防部与美国国家科学基金会REU计划和化学部合作支持。参与者参与包括材料化学在内的研究项目。参与者在发现、设计、开发和表征新的生物材料和能源材料的研究小组中接受指导。本课程强调实验室安全、科学沟通技巧的发展和包容性。通过跨学科系列研讨会，参与者将接触到材料化学的就业机会和更广泛的应用，演讲者来自工业界和学术界。通过培训参与者成为学生安全官员，参与点对点实验室安全评估计划，以及制作安全视频，展示了实验室安全原则。“共融”的主题旨在培养强烈的社区意识。参与者的研究项目包括结合自组装、模板和纳米技术开发新的生物材料；能源材料的设计和开发，如光伏、储能或催化材料；以及材料分析的新光谱和显微策略的发展。这个项目的目标是少数族裔和化学和化学工程专业即将升入大二的学生。通过针对早期职业学生，该计划的强化培训灌输了对发现的热情，加速了学生在大学的成功，并保留了科学和工程领域的学生。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 REU site award to the University of Texas at Austin, located in Austin, TX, supports the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2019-2021. This site is supported by the Department of Defense in partnership with the NSF REU program and the Division of Chemistry. Participants engage in research projects encompassing materials chemistry. Participants are mentored in research groups that discover, design, develop and characterize new biomaterials and energy materials. This program emphasizes laboratory safety, development of scientific communication skills, and inclusivity. Participants are exposed to career opportunities and broader applications of materials chemistry via an interdisciplinary seminar series, with speakers from industry and academia. The principles of lab safety are showcased by training participants to be Student Safety Officers, engagement in a peer-to-peer lab safety assessment program, and creation of safety videos. The overarching theme of inclusivity aims to develop a strong sense of community.Participants' research projects include development of new biomaterials by combining self-assembly, templating and nanotechnology; design and development of energy materials such as photovoltaic, energy storing, or catalytic materials; and development of new spectroscopic and microscopy strategies for materials analysis. This program targets underrepresented minorities and rising sophomore students in chemistry and chemical engineering. By targeting early career students, this program's intensive training instills a passion for discovery that accelerates success in college and retention of students in science and engineering 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.