REU Site: Applied Physics at the University of South Florida

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NON-TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site in Applied Physics offers a unique opportunity for undergraduate physics majors nationwide to engage in research projects on the boundaries of physics, mathematics, chemistry, biology, and materials science. The main objectives are: (1) to involve the REU students in meaningful research, producing peer-reviewed publications and presentations at (inter)national scientific conferences; (2) to provide research opportunities, especially to students from underrepresented groups; (3) to target students from institutions with limited research opportunities (four- and two-year colleges); (4) to make a major impact on the REU students' professional careers by helping them gain laboratory and computing skills, familiarity with state-of-the-art research methods, critical thinking, and oral and written presentation experience; (5) to enhance participants' interest in and likelihood of admission to graduate school; (6) to engage students in team-work through mentoring from faculty, post-doctoral scholars, and graduate students; (7) to prepare undergraduate students for scientific/engineering careers through workshops and seminars. Among these are a participatory ethics workshop at the start of the summer and a seminar in entrepreneurship led by a scientist with small-business experience. Many participants in the Applied-Physics REU site continue with post-graduate study in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics field or find employment in such an area directly after their bachelor's degrees.TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: Each participant spends the summer embedded in a research group working with one of 14 participating faculty mentors. Projects include the following: (1) ultrafast dynamical properties in magnetic materials; (2) laser spectroscopy of biomaterials; (3) new materials for energy-related applications; (4) hybrid magnetic nanoparticles for nanomedicine applications; (5) fabrication of low-dimensional functional electronic materials ; (6) theory of the electrocaloric effect in relaxor ferroelectrics; (7) THz photonic phase modulation by polymeric micro-actuator arrays; (8) control of cell-membrane shape by protein modules; (9) theory and simulation of plastic avalanches in ductile polymer glasses; (10) data-driven modeling of ion dynamics in neurological disorders; (11) real-time optical metrology by direct measurement; (12) molecular-dynamics simulations of phase transitions in diamond under extreme conditions; (13) smart-sensor technologies for space research and aerospace applications; and (14) simulation of novel magnetic ordering in quasiperiodic tilings. Students participate in weekly scientific and career-development seminars and present their scientific findings at mid-summer and again at the end.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.