REU Site: Nanoscale Materials Science and Engineering at Vanderbilt University

非技术描述：范德比尔特纳米科学与工程学院（VINSE）本科生暑期研究经验（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，研究纳米科学与工程领域的前沿研究项目。研究项目的总体主题是纳米材料的创新和制造。这些项目旨在在学生和参与的教师之间建立一种社区意识，并使REU的学生广泛接触纳米科学和工程前沿的研究。REU的学生还通过参加范德比尔特高中学生暑期学院，获得了将研究与教育和推广结合起来的培训机会。此外，为了促进REU学生在研究经历后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暑期之后，学生们对研究生学习的渴望更高，88%的学生留在科学和工程专业，69%的学生进入研究生院，主要是在其他机构，以确保学生获得最丰富的经验。从长远来看，REU网站有助于建立一个受过科学和工程学科教育和激励的劳动力，特别是纳米科学和纳米技术的跨学科研究。该项目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项目和VINSE教师在几个机构有合作伙伴，包括附近的HBCU菲斯克大学，他们致力于帮助我们识别潜在的REU学生。此外，来自本地院校导师的访问也有助于加强这些伙伴关系，并发展与新院校的关系。技术描述：纳米科学和纳米技术有望以多种方式彻底改变我们的生活，这吸引了科学家的想象力、媒体和公众的注意力。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，也可以是其中任何两种或两种以上的混合体。因此，纳米科学和纳米技术构成了跨越传统上不同学科的巨大挑战；为了应对这些挑战，在广阔的纳米技术领域培养未来的科学家和工程师是至关重要的。为了实现这一目标，VINSE暑期REU网站为科学和工程本科学生提供了与纳米科学和工程领域前沿研究项目的教师密切合作的机会。VINSE教师为REU学生提供真正的跨学科研究经验，在物理学家，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的环境中。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。

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.