REU Site: CAS: Advancing Chemistry Research by Integrating Green Chemistry and Science Policy

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This Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site award to The George Washington University, located in Washington, DC, supports the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2021-2023. In this program, funded by the Division of Chemistry, participants pursue collaborative research projects, with a focus on green and environmental chemistry and their relation to applications in renewable energy, water purification, renewable feedstocks, and healthcare. Participants also take part in a professional development and ethics training program, with a focus on science policy and the role it plays in the development of technologies consistent with sustainability. Through independent research projects, workshops, and interactions with a variety of government agencies in the DC area, this site broadens participation in STEM and encourages students to adopt new approaches in the development of chemical technologies with minimal environmental impact.The students undertake individual projects encompassing a variety fields of chemistry with the unifying theme of developing technologies consistent with the principles of green chemistry and environmental sustainability. These projects include integrated processes for upgrading lignocellulosic biomass using ionic liquids, in silico design of biodegradable pesticides, and optical properties of carbon nanodots for environmental sensing applications, among many others. The professional development series includes a workshop in science policy, seminars by local government and academic professionals involved in science policy, and student involvement in the annual cross-disciplinary Green Chemistry, Environmental Health and Science Policy Forum. Students also participate in a workshop on K-12 education in science and engineering with a focus on green chemistry and sustainability. To increase diversity in STEM students and exposure to scientific research, this site emphasizes the recruitment of students from non-PhD granting and minority serving institutions.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.