REU Site: Advanced Chemistries for Energy and Sensing Applications at the University of Tennessee

位于田纳西州诺克斯维尔的田纳西诺克斯维尔大学的本科生研究体验奖，支持在2019-2021年夏季对10名本科生进行为期10周的培训。在这个由化学系资助的计划中，参与者参与研究项目并接受指导，以发展对成功的科学职业至关重要的补充专业技能。个别研究项目围绕能源和传感应用的先进化学这一主题展开。专业发展和辅导部分强调通过与英语系合作培养本科生的沟通能力。学生创作高质量的科学写作。该计划还通过与橡树岭国家实验室等邻近机构的互动，让参与者接触到各种可能的化学研究职业。本科生的研究项目属于高级能源和传感化学的广泛框架下，包括研究形状变化的聚合物材料，表征单分子磁体和化学量子比特，计算研究用于气体分离的聚合物膜，了解聚合催化剂的结构-性能关系，以及设计用于触发释放封装内容物的脂质体。这个REU网站强调纳入不同的本科生群体，以解决人口群体代表性不足的问题。最终，该网站致力于培养一批训练有素的、多样化的有才华的化学家，为未来对学术、政府服务或行业的贡献做好准备。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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 site award to the University of Tennessee Knoxville, located in Knoxville, TN, supports the training of 10 undergraduate students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2019-2021. In this program, funded by the Division of Chemistry, participants engage in research projects and receive mentoring to develop complementary professional skills critical for successful scientific careers. The individual research projects center around the theme of advanced chemistries for energy and sensing applications. The professional development and mentoring component places an emphasis on building undergraduates' communication skills through collaboration with the English Department. The students create high quality science writing. This program also exposes participants to a variety of possible careers in chemical research through interaction with neighboring institutions such as the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.Undergraduates' research projects, falling under the broad umbrella of advanced chemistries for energy and sensing, include studying shape-changing polymeric materials, characterizing single-molecule magnets and chemical qubits, computationally studying polymeric membranes for gas separation, understanding structure-property relationships of polymerization catalysts, and designing liposomes for triggered release of encapsulated contents. This REU Site emphasizes the inclusion of a diverse group of undergraduates to address the under-representation of demographic groups. Ultimately, this site works to develop a well-trained and diverse set of talented chemists primed for future contributions to academics, government service or industry.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.