REU/RET Site: Physics Research at Brigham Young University

REU/RET 站点：杨百翰大学物理研究

• 批准号: 2051129
• 负责人: Jean-Francois Van Huele
• 金额: $ 37.06万
• 依托单位: Brigham Young University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-03-15 至 2025-02-28
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2051129&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: REU; RET; Site; Physics; Research

This project aims to provide students from a diverse pool of undergraduate institutions with a memorable and formative experience in physics and astronomy research to solidify their commitment to further study and careers in scientific fields. The leaders will guide participants in short but intense research projects in one of the many active research areas in physics and astronomy at Brigham Young University. The whole cohort is mentored from initial research prospectus to final report and intermediate presentations in addition to the one-on-one faculty mentoring. Professional preparation and skill development are complemented with informal activities for social cohesion and networking. The individual participants' projects explore a broad spectrum of currently unsolved problems through hands-on activities under a faculty mentor's direct supervision to provide significant and lasting educational and intellectual benefits to the participants. As the participants' projects are integrated into the current research program of active research groups, they are likely to contribute to the advance of knowledge and produce results that can be published and/or presented at professional meetings. When it matters most, participants are immersed in an intense collaborative experiment centered around collegiality and scientific practice at a significant time in their educational development. By assembling a vast group of diverse participants from different walks of life but with a common purpose and interest in physics, the program intends to create lifelong connections and a resource network that will benefit all participants, their scientific productivity, and professional trajectory. The project provides cohort diversity by striving towards a 50-50 gender balance and seeking out participation from underrepresented groups. It contributes to the long-term goal of increasing the participation of under-served groups in the STEM fields.The Department of Physics and Astronomy at Brigham Young University (BYU) proposes to offer a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site in Physics. The objective is to guide participants in short but intense research projects in one of the university's many active research areas through one-on-one mentoring by faculty. The program also emphasizes the whole cohort's progress from research question to final products through close academic mentoring by the PI and co-PI, as well as weekly meetings to discuss the cohort's progress and provide professional development. These complement informal activities for social cohesion and networking. The site will have twelve REU participants and two RET participants each summer for the next three years. The REU site at BYU has run successfully for the past twenty years. It benefits from a departmental and institutional commitment that allowed it to complete a successful program during the Covid-19 period of 2020 despite nearly all projects being done remotely and a department and institutional commitment to undergraduate research excellence. The leaders strive to bring together a diverse cohort of participants from different institutions and backgrounds, with special efforts to recruit students from underrepresented groups in physics and those from two-year and four-year colleges in the nearby geographical region. The leaders undertake particularly concerted efforts to recruit women and ethnic minorities. Because of the geographical location and past experiences with minority students, the team expects to be particularly effective recruiting students from Hispanic and Native American groups. A particular aspect of the program is the inclusion of two RET participants, typically one local. There are identical research expectations for REU and RET participants, but both groups benefit from the association. The small RET component of the program is a significant asset. The breadth of the projects offered is a valuable asset. Many participants have not yet decided on the particular sub-field of physics they want to pursue as graduate students or professionals. The program offers experimental, computational, and theoretical projects in a wide variety of sub fields of physics. Although each student's project is unique, participants indicate that they the broader exposure to physics through the REU cohort. The areas covered include: Quantum Information and Dynamics, Semiconductor Nanomaterials, Brown Dwarfs and Transiting Planets, Coherent Lenses Imaging and Optics, Local Structure of Quantum Materials, Materials Structure and Properties, Modeling Complex Systems, Nano magnetism, Nonlinear Acoustics, Numerical Relativity, Pulsating Star Astronomy, and Underwater.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.

该项目旨在为来自各种本科机构的学生提供在物理和天文学研究方面令人难忘而形成性的经验，以巩固他们对科学领域进一步研究和职业的承诺。领导者将指导参与者在杨百翰大学的许多活跃的物理和天文学研究领域之一中的参与者进行。除了一对一的教师指导外，整个队列还从初始研究招股说明书到最终报告和中间演讲。专业的准备和技能发展与非正式活动相辅相成，以进行社会凝聚力和网络。各个参与者的项目通过在教师导师的直接监督下的动手活动来探索目前未解决的问题，以为参与者提供重要而持久的教育和智力福利。随着参与者的项目被整合到当前的活跃研究小组的研究计划中，他们可能会为知识的发展做出贡献，并产生可以在专业会议上发布和/或介绍的结果。当大多数情况下，参与者都沉浸在一个围绕着协会和科学实践的激烈协作实验中，这在他们的教育发展中。通过组建来自不同各行各业的大量不同参与者，但对物理学的共同目的和兴趣，该计划旨在建立终身联系和资源网络，这些网络将使所有参与者，他们的科学生产力和专业轨迹受益。该项目通过努力达到50-50的性别平衡并寻求代表性不足的群体的参与来提供队列多样性。它有助于增加服务不足群体在STEM领域的参与的长期目标。杨百翰大学物理和天文学系（BYU）建议在物理学中为大学生（REU）地点提供研究经验。目的是通过教师的一对一指导来指导参与者在大学众多活跃研究领域之一中的参与者。该计划还强调了整个队列通过PI和Co-Pi的仔细学术指导以及每周的会议，以讨论同伙的进步并提供专业发展，从而强调了整个队列从研究问题到最终产品的进步。 这些补充非正式活动以进行社会凝聚力和网络。在接下来的三年中，该网站将有十二名REU参与者和两个RET参与者。在过去的二十年中，BYU的REU网站已成功运行。它受益于部门和机构的承诺，尽管几乎所有项目都在远程完成，但该部门和机构的承诺使其能够在2020年的Covid-19时期完成成功计划，并且部门和机构对卓越的研究生研究。领导人努力将来自不同机构和背景的参与者汇集在一起​​，并特别努力招募来自代表性不足的物理群体以及附近地理区域两年和四年制大学的学生。领导人特别协调招募妇女和少数民族的努力。由于地理位置的地理位置和过去与少数族裔学生的经验，该团队希望特别有效地招募来自西班牙裔和美洲原住民团体的学生。该计划的一个特定方面是包括两个RET参与者，通常是一个本地。对REU和RET参与者的研究期望相同，但两组都从该协会中受益。该程序的小型RET组件是重要的资产。所提供的项目的广度是宝贵的资产。许多参与者尚未决定他们想作为研究生或专业人士追求的物理学的特定子场。该计划在各种物理学子领域提供了实验，计算和理论项目。尽管每个学生的项目都是独一无二的，但参与者表明他们通过REU队列更广泛地接触物理。所涵盖的区域包括：量子信息和动态，半导体纳米材料，棕色矮人和过渡行星，相干镜头成像和光学，量子材料的局部结构，材料结构和特性，纳米磁性系统，纳米磁性，非线性声学，非线性声学，数字依赖性，脉动统计，刻画天文学和统计的天文学，降低了生命的生长，并构成了生长群体。认为值得通过基金会的智力优点和更广泛影响的评论标准来评估值得支持。