REU Site: Environmental Engineering Solutions for Pollution Prevention

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This renewal REU Site: Environmental Engineering Solutions for Pollution Prevention (EESPP) at SUNY Buffalo, will train undergraduate researchers to address global pollution prevention concerns within three themes: detection, source control, and remediation. The 10 week program stresses laboratory-focused projects that will provide students with confidence, creativity, and independence. A diverse student cohort will be annually recruited from local, regional, and national universities with limited undergraduate research opportunities. Research projects in the EESPP-REU integrate engineering and science to solve pollution prevention issues relevant to the Buffalo-Niagara region and the globe. Each project will have an immediate impact on environmental or human health and/or the economy of western New York. Inherent with pollution prevention is the potential for societal benefits through improvements to health or the economy. Consistent with the program's themes, projects may identify pollutants that were previously unrecognized, develop technologies that limit air/water pollution emissions, or remediate sites that threaten health. During the 10-week summer program students will make focused contributions to faculty projects in thematic research clusters addressing pollutant detection, source control, and remediation. These themes, considered together, address the wider "Pollution Prevention" focus of the EESPP-REU program. The theme also allows the EESPP-REU program to directly address NSF focus areas. Students and faculty participants will disseminate research results through conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications, expanding opportunities for knowledge advancement. Selected participants will then be paired with a research mentor to conduct transformative pollution prevention research. Weekly group meetings of the REU cohort will foster student-student communication in conjunction with training workshops and professional or social networking opportunities. An annual community service project will provide concrete evidence of societal impact while fostering student-student communication. A concluding Research Symposium, as well as support for post-REU conference presentations and publications, will help students hone their communication skills. In addition, the EESPP-REU program promotes graduate school enrollment by providing Kaplan Test Prep GRE training to interested participants. A portfolio of external assessment activities supports the continuous improvement of the REU site.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.