REU Site: Multifunctional Materials

德克萨斯农工大学(TAMU)的本科生更新研究体验(REU)网站提供多功能材料或结合了两种或两种以上重要特性(例如，强度和电能存储容量)的材料的各个方面的研究经验，给不同和有才华的学生，特别是来自德克萨斯州和全国各地以本科生和少数族裔为主的服务机构的学生。美国西南部有广泛的材料研究活动，服务于能源、航空航天、电子和医疗等呈指数级增长的行业；然而，材料研究和教育努力支离破碎，许多本科生不知道材料科学是什么。材料，特别是多功能材料的进步，对于解决该国在能源和健康方面最具挑战性的问题至关重要。这些研究产品将使社会广泛受益，该项目将有助于招收更多学生进入材料科学和工程领域，该领域迫切需要更多和更多样化的劳动力。这个为期10周的夏季REU网站的目标是：1.每年招聘10名STEM专业的本科生参与者，特别关注德克萨斯州主要的本科生和少数族裔服务机构，并建立与这些机构教职员工的现有联系。2.让本科生参与与多功能材料相关的高质量研究体验，建立他们对研究过程的理解，增加他们对自己研究能力的信心，并激发他们在材料科学和工程领域从事职业的兴趣。3.通过严格的评估和学生跟踪过程，评估REU网站对学生参与者随后的教育和职业选择的影响，并评估研究经验的具体组成部分的有效性，从而有助于改进REU未来的努力。研究活动将侧重于展示多功能特性的材料系统的多尺度实验和建模。实验活动将包括形状记忆合金、2-D材料、MAX相、纤维和聚合物的制造和表征，以及碳纳米纤维器件、碳纳米棒、替代储能器件材料、层层聚合物组件、多功能涂层和纳弹性材料系统的设计和测试。建模活动将包括原子模拟、连续尺度本构建模、统计材料发现方法、材料信息学和机器学习方法、基于有限元的微观力学以及应用的宏观有限元建模。学生将学习如何进行研究，发展实验室和建模技能，并学习如何进行多功能材料和部件的设计、分析、测试和优化。这些学生将与材料科学与工程多学科系的一名教师研究导师以及一名训练有素的研究生导师合作。他们还将参加一项职业发展计划，其中包括沟通和研究方法技能培训、研究生院信息会议，以及可选的实地考察和参观。学生们有机会在夏末举行的海报研讨会上展示他们的研究成果。该计划将与TAMU的AGEP-T计划和LSAMP计划密切合作，作为全面招聘计划的一部分，以确保REU站点有多样化和有才华的申请者。该站点由国防部与NSF REU计划合作支持。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 renewal Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site at Texas A&M University (TAMU)offers research experiences on various aspects of multifunctional materials, or materials which combine two or more important properties (for example, strength and electrical energy storage capacity) to diverse and talented cohorts of students particularly from predominantly undergraduate and minority serving institutions in Texas and across the country. There is extensive materials research activity in the southwestern US, which serves exponentially growing sectors in energy, aerospace, electronics and health; however, materials research and education efforts are fragmented, and many undergraduates do not know what materials science is. Advances in materials, particularly multifunctional materials are critical to addressing the country's most challenging problems in energy and health. The research products will benefit society broadly and the project will help to recruit more students into materials science and engineering, an area where an increased and more diverse workforce is urgently needed.The objectives of this 10 week summer, REU site are: 1. Recruit ten undergraduate participants with majors in STEM disciplines per year, focusing particularly on predominantly undergraduate and minority serving institutions in Texas, and building on existing connections with faculty at those institutions. 2. Engage undergraduate participants in high quality research experiences related to multifunctional materials, building their understanding of the research process, increasing their confidence in their ability to do research, and stimulating their interest in pursuing careers in materials science and engineering. 3. Through a rigorous assessment and student tracking process, evaluate the impact of the REU site on student participants' subsequent education and career choices, and evaluate the effectiveness of specific components of the research experience, thus helping to improve future REU efforts. The research activities will focus on multiscale experiments and modeling of material systems that exhibit multifunctional properties. The experimental activities will include fabrication and characterization of shape memory alloys, 2-D materials, MAX Phases, fibers and polymers, as well as design and testing of carbon nanofiber devices, carbon nanosponges, alternative energy storage device materials, Layer-by-Layer polymer assemblies, multifunctional coatings, and nastic material systems. The modeling activities will include atomistic simulations, continuum scale constitutive modeling, statistical materials discovery methods, materials informatics and machine learning methodologies, finite element based micromechanics, and macroscopic finite element modeling of applications. Students will learn how research is conducted, develop laboratory and modeling skills, and learn how to conduct design, analysis, testing and optimization of multifunctional materials and components. The students will collaborate with a faculty research mentor from the multidisciplinary Department of Materials Science and Engineering along with a trained graduate student mentor. They also will participate in a professional development program that includes training in communications and research methods skills, graduate school information sessions, and optional field trips and tours. The students are provided with opportunities to present their research results in a poster symposium held at the end of the summer. The program will collaborate closely with TAMU's AGEP-T program and LSAMP program as part of comprehensive recruitment plan to ensure a diverse and talented applicant pool for the REU Site.This site is supported by the Department of Defense in partnership with the NSF REU program.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.