REU/RET Site: Physics Research at Brigham Young University

该项目旨在为来自不同本科院校的学生提供物理学和天文学研究方面令人难忘的形成性经验，以巩固他们对科学领域进一步学习和职业生涯的承诺。领导者将指导参与者在杨百翰大学物理学和天文学的许多活跃研究领域之一进行简短但激烈的研究项目。除了一对一的教师指导外，整个队列从最初的研究计划书到最终报告和中间演示文稿都得到了指导。专业准备和技能发展还辅之以促进社会凝聚力和建立联系的非正式活动。个人参与者的项目通过在教师导师的直接监督下进行的实践活动，探索目前尚未解决的广泛问题，为参与者提供显著而持久的教育和智力利益。由于参与者的项目被纳入活跃的研究小组的当前研究计划，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/或介绍的结果。最重要的是，参与者在他们教育发展的重要时刻沉浸在以合议和科学实践为中心的激烈合作实验中。通过聚集来自各行各业但对物理学有共同目的和兴趣的众多参与者，该计划旨在建立终身联系和资源网络，使所有参与者，他们的科学生产力和专业轨迹受益。该项目通过努力实现50-50的性别平衡和寻求代表性不足的群体的参与，提供了群体多样性。杨百翰大学（Brigham Young University，简称BYU）物理学与天文学系提议为物理学专业的本科生（REU）提供一个研究体验（Research Experience for Undergraduates，简称REU）网站。其目标是通过教师的一对一指导，在大学众多活跃的研究领域之一指导参与者进行短期但激烈的研究项目。该计划还强调整个队列的研究问题，通过PI和共同PI密切的学术指导，以及每周会议，讨论队列的进展，并提供专业发展的最终产品的进展。 这些活动补充了促进社会凝聚力和网络的非正式活动。该网站将有12个REU参与者和两个RET参与者在未来三年每年夏天。杨百翰大学的REU网站在过去的二十年里成功地运行。它受益于部门和机构的承诺，使其能够在2020年新冠肺炎期间成功完成一个项目，尽管几乎所有项目都是远程完成的，并且部门和机构致力于本科生的卓越研究。领导人努力汇集来自不同机构和背景的多元化参与者，特别努力从物理学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。这些领导人特别协调一致地努力招募妇女和少数民族。由于地理位置和过去与少数民族学生的经验，该团队预计将特别有效地招募来自西班牙裔和美洲土著群体的学生。该方案的一个特殊方面是纳入两名可再生能源技术参与者，通常是一名当地人。对REU和RET参与者有相同的研究期望，但这两个群体都从这种联系中受益。该方案的小规模可再生能源部分是一项重要资产。所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作为研究生或专业人士追求的特定物理子领域。该计划提供各种物理子领域的实验，计算和理论项目。虽然每个学生的项目都是独特的，但参与者表示，他们通过REU队列更广泛地接触物理。所涉领域包括：量子信息与动力学、半导体纳米材料、棕矮星与凌日行星、相干透镜成像与光学、量子材料局域结构、材料结构与性质、复杂系统建模、纳米磁学、非线性声学、数值相对论、脉动星星天文学、该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。

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.