REU Site: UC Davis Chemistry Research Experience for Undergraduates in Energy and Catalysis

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This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site award to the University of California-Davis, located in Davis, CA, supports the training of 28 total students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2020-2022. This program, supported by the Division of Chemistry in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate, engages students with research projects at the interface of energy, materials science and biotechnology. Participants also take part in interactive development workshops to improve scientific communication skills, provide career guidance, and bolster capacity to perform science in a professional setting. This site offers additional multi-level mentoring and resources to accommodate blind and vision-impaired students.Students engage in unique research projects in energy-related, fundamental and applied chemistry with expert chemistry researchers. Examples of research projects include synthesis of molecular and heterogenous catalysts; fabrication of artificial photosynthesis devices from inexpensive nanomaterials; protein engineering and synthetic biology for biofuel production; and computational modeling and simulations for enzyme and catalyst design. Graduate school and professional development programs include seminars on the search for suitable graduate programs and identifying keys for success in graduate school and beyond. The site is committed to broadening participation in STEM by promoting participation of first-generation, underrepresented minority, blind and vision impaired, and female undergraduate students from local community colleges, primarily undergraduate institutions, and minority-serving institutions such as the University of Puerto Rico.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.