REU Site: Nanoscale Materials Science and Engineering at Vanderbilt University

非技术描述：该范德比尔特纳米科学与工程研究所（VINSE）本科生暑期研究经验（REU）网站提供科学和工程本科生有机会与教师密切合作，在纳米科学和工程领域的前沿研究项目。研究项目的首要主题是纳米材料创新和制造。这些项目旨在建立学生和参与教师之间的社区意识，以及暴露REU学生广泛的研究在纳米科学和工程的前沿。REU的学生还提供了培训的机会，在研究与教育和推广的整合，通过参加范德比尔特夏季学院的高中生。此外，为了促进REU学生在研究经历后的继续指导，并提高学生继续研究的可能性，“家庭导师”被邀请访问范德比尔特参加顶点活动。历史数据显示，在REU夏季之后，学生对研究生学习的渴望有所提高，88%的学生留在科学和工程领域，69%的学生进入研究生院，主要是在其他机构，确保学生获得最丰富的经验。从长远来看，REU网站有助于建立一支受过科学和工程学科教育并具有动力的劳动力队伍，特别是纳米科学和纳米技术的跨学科研究。该计划非常重视从代表性不足的少数群体和研究机会有限的学校招收学生; REU计划和VINSE教师在几个机构有合作者，包括附近的HBCU菲斯克大学，致力于帮助我们识别潜在的REU学生。此外，家庭机构导师的访问也使这些伙伴关系得到加强，与新机构的关系得到发展。 技术说明：纳米科学和纳米技术以多种方式彻底改变我们的生活的承诺已经吸引了科学家的想象力，媒体的注意力和公众。纳米科学和纳米技术是基于在纳米尺度上系统地合成、组织、表征和操纵物质的能力，创造出独特的功能材料，这些材料可以是无机的、有机的或生物的，或者是其中任何两种或更多种的混合物。因此，纳米科学和纳米技术提出了跨越传统上不同学科的巨大挑战;为了迎接这些挑战，在纳米技术的广泛领域对未来的科学家和工程师进行跨学科培训至关重要。为了实现这一目标，VINSE夏季REU网站为科学和工程本科生提供了与教师密切合作的机会，以开展纳米科学和工程领域的前沿研究项目。VINSE教师为REU学生提供真正的跨学科研究体验，在这个环境中，物理学家，化学家，生物学家和所有工程师合作解决问题并创造新的科学理解。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

NON-TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: The Vanderbilt Institute for Nanoscale Science and Engineering (VINSE) summer research experiences for undergraduates (REU) site offers science and engineering undergraduate students the opportunity to work closely with faculty on forefront research projects in the field of nanoscale science and engineering. The overarching theme of the research projects are nanomaterials innovation and fabrication. The projects are designed to build a sense of community among the students and the participating faculty, as well as expose the REU students broadly to research at the leading edge of nanoscale science and engineering. REU students are also offered the opportunity for training in the integration of research with education and outreach through participation in the Vanderbilt Summer Academy for high school students. Additionally, to facilitate the continued mentoring of the REU students after the research experience and enhance the probability of the student continuing in research, 'home mentors' are invited to visit Vanderbilt to participate in the capstone events. Historical data shows that following an REU summer, students have a heightened desire for graduate studies, with 88% remaining in science and engineering and 69% entering graduate school, primarily at other institutions ensuring students obtain the richest experience. Long term, the REU site contributes to building a workforce educated in and motivated towards science and engineering disciplines and specifically, interdisciplinary research in nanoscience and nanotechnology. The program places strong emphasis on recruiting students from underrepresented minority groups and schools with limited research opportunities; the REU program and the VINSE faculty have collaborators at several institutions, including nearby HBCU Fisk University that are committed to helping us identify potential REU students. Furthermore, visits from home institution mentors also enables these partnerships to be strengthened and relationships with new institutions developed. TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: The promise of nanoscience and nanotechnology to revolutionize our lives in multiple ways has captured the imagination of scientists, the attention of the media, and the general public. Nanoscience and nanotechnology are based on the ability to synthesize, organize, characterize, and manipulate matter systematically at the nanoscale, creating uniquely functional materials that can be inorganic, organic or biological, or a hybrid of any two or more of these. Thus, nanoscience and nanotechnology pose formidable challenges that cut across traditionally distinct disciplines; to meet these challenges, interdisciplinary training of future scientists and engineers in the broad field of nanotechnology is of paramount importance. To achieve this goal the VINSE summer REU site offers science and engineering undergraduate students the opportunity to work closely with faculty on forefront research projects in the field of nanoscale science and engineering. VINSE faculty provide REU students with a true interdisciplinary research experience in an environment where physicists, chemists, biologists, and all engineers collaboratively solve problems and create new scientific understanding.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.