REU Site: Clean Energy Bridge to Research (CEBR)

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This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site award to the University of Washington, located in Seattle, WA, supports the training of a total of 27 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2020-2022. This program, funded by the Divisions of Chemistry and Materials Research in the Directorate of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, engages students and community college instructors (RETs) in education and research centered around pathways to clean energy. Students are exposed to activities spanning chemistry, physics, materials science, chemical engineering, and electrical engineering. Through the program, community college instructors have opportunities to increase their knowledge of clean energy research areas and find ways to incorporate research skills into their curricula. Alongside a robust professional development program, this site also offers community college students long-lasting and extended mentorship through the Research 360 program. This program is based around two main research areas: (i) Advanced materials for energy (AME) and (ii) Energy systems and integration (ESI). Participants in the AME thrust focus on developing novel materials for solar energy conversion and electrical energy storage devices. Participants in the ESI thrust build innovative software and hardware tools that accelerate the integration of solar energy and electrical energy storage with systems and the grid, enabling a scalable clean energy future. By recruiting and training underrepresented groups, this site expands diversity in the STEM workforce. By having a holistic program with community college instructor involvement, this program facilitates student retention as they start down their academic path.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.