REU Site: Summer Research Program for Community College Students in Physics and Astronomy at Texas A&M University-Commerce.

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This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site at Texas A&M University-Commerce provides opportunities for six students each summer for ten weeks from 2-year community colleges in the middle south region of the US near northeast Texas, which borders the neighboring states of Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Students in this isolated region have very few research opportunities and may come from school districts with few STEM resources. The students will participate in physics education, nuclear physics, astrophysics, experimental surface physics, experimental organic semiconductor physics, and astronomy. In addition to participating in research with a research advisor, the REU students will engage in weekly activities to ensure that their research stays on track and have an engaging collegial and scholarly experience. At the end of the program, each student will write a research paper and present their work results in a small group conference on campus.This REU site will have several broader impacts, focusing on providing research opportunities for undergraduates to help prepare them for future science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. It also focuses on providing research opportunities for students in two-year community colleges and facilitates four-year universities' transition. The site has developed strategies to ensure that non-traditional students, women, and underrepresented minorities can participate in a summer research experience. Early involvement in research beginning in the first year is one of the most effective ways to attract and retain talented undergraduate students in STEM careers. Special efforts will be made to help the REU students to become independent researchers in the near future.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.