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.

该项目旨在为来自不同本科院校的学生提供令人难忘的物理和天文研究经验，以巩固他们在科学领域进一步学习和职业生涯的承诺。领导人将指导参与者进行简短但紧张的研究项目，这些项目是杨百翰大学许多活跃的物理和天文学研究领域之一。除了一对一的教师指导外，从最初的研究说明书到最终报告和中间演示文稿，整个队列都得到了指导。专业准备和技能发展与促进社会凝聚力和联网的非正式活动相辅相成。个别参与者的项目通过在教师导师的直接监督下的实践活动来探索目前尚未解决的广泛问题，为参与者提供显著和持久的教育和智力利益。由于参与者的项目被整合到目前活跃的研究小组的研究计划中，他们很可能有助于知识的进步，并产生可以在专业会议上发表和/或展示的结果。当最重要的时候，参与者沉浸在以合作和科学实践为中心的密集合作实验中，这是他们教育发展的重要时刻。通过聚集一大群来自不同行业但对物理有共同目的和兴趣的不同参与者，该计划旨在创建终身联系和资源网络，这将使所有参与者、他们的科学生产力和职业轨迹受益。该项目通过努力实现50：50的性别平衡和寻求代表人数不足的群体的参与，提供了群体多样性。杨百翰大学(BYU)的物理和天文学系提议为本科生提供物理研究体验(REU)网站，这有助于增加STEM领域中服务不足群体的长期参与。其目的是通过教师一对一的指导，在该大学众多活跃研究领域之一的短而密集的研究项目中指导参与者。该计划还强调整个团队从研究问题到最终产品的进展，通过PI和共同PI的密切学术指导，以及每周开会讨论队列的进展并提供专业发展。这些活动是对社会凝聚力和网络联系的非正式活动的补充。在接下来的三年里，该网站每年夏天将有12名REU参与者和2名RET参与者。杨百翰大学的REU网站在过去的二十年里运行得很成功。它受益于部门和机构的承诺，使其能够在2020年期间成功完成一个项目，尽管几乎所有的项目都是远程完成的，而且部门和机构致力于本科生的卓越研究。领导人努力将来自不同机构和背景的不同参与者聚集在一起，特别努力从物理学专业代表性不足的群体以及附近地理区域的两年制和四年制大学招收学生。这些领导人作出特别协调一致的努力，招募妇女和少数民族。由于地理位置和过去接触少数族裔学生的经验，该团队预计在招收来自西班牙裔和美洲原住民群体的学生方面尤其有效。该计划的一个特殊方面是包括两名RET参与者，通常是一名当地参与者。REU和RET参与者的研究期望是相同的，但这两组人都从这种联系中受益。该计划的小RET部分是一项重要的资产。提供的项目的广度是一项宝贵的资产。许多参与者还没有决定他们想要作为研究生或专业人员从事的特定物理子领域。该计划在物理学的各个子领域提供实验、计算和理论项目。尽管每个学生的项目都是独一无二的，但参与者表示，他们通过REU队列获得了更广泛的物理接触。所涵盖的领域包括：量子信息与动力学、半导体纳米材料、棕矮星和凌日行星、相干透镜成像和光学、量子材料的局部结构、材料结构和性质、复杂系统建模、纳米磁性、非线性声学、数值相对论、脉动恒星天文学和水下。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。