REU SITE: IDEA Incubator for Porous Materials: Integrating Discovery, Engineering and Art

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This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site will create an IDEA Incubator at the University of Kansas (KU) by integrating discovery, engineering and art. The primary goal is to engage a diverse cohort of REU students in a variety of experiences, both in and out of the laboratory, that will nurture creativity, communication and other important skills for the 21st Century workforce. Emphasizing innovative thinking in particular is essential since the future competitiveness of the U.S. in the global economy depends on innovators to create products and processes of value to society. REU students will grow as researchers by engaging in team-based learning on projects focused on porous materials, which have a wide-variety of biomedical and chemical applications. With a host of variables that can be altered and tested, this field of research is ideal for tinkering and ripe for discovery and innovation. Training activities will also help students build a solid understanding of size and scale, two concepts that tend to be under-developed but essential for scientific literacy and discovery. During the 10-week summer program, this REU Site offers opportunities for undergraduate students to engage in research on topics relating to porous materials that range from fundamental to applied. For example, participants will be immersed in how to design stable delivery systems for vaccines, adsorbents for chemical separations, nanofiber scaffolds for tissue engineering, and catalysts for hydrogen generation and biomass conversion. In addition, students will gain hands-on experience with state-of-the-art biophysical and analytical techniques for characterizing porous materials and how these materials interact with other molecules. The REU students? will be supported in the laboratory by specially trained faculty and graduate student mentors. The students will also engage in tours of nearby companies, boredom-busting unseminars, interactive workshops, social mixers and team-building activities. The extensive partnerships with nine companies and an art museum, as well as active-learning classrooms and high-tech labs make this REU Site uniquely positioned to create a successful and inclusive learning experience for all students. Furthermore, synergistic benefits will arise from partnering with a KU Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Site, leading to broader impacts for high school level educators and students.This project is jointly funded by the Directorate for Engineering (ENG), Division of Engineering Education and Centers (EEC) and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).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.