REU Site: A Summer Research Program that Integrates Deaf, Hearing and Sign Language Interpreting Students to Advance Chemistry Research and to Enhance Science Communication

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This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site award to James Madison University (JMU), located in Harrisonburg, VA, supports the training of 12 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2022-2024. This program, jointly funded by the Division of Chemistry and the Office of Multidisciplinary Activity (OMA) in the Mathematics and Physical Sciences (MPS) Directorate will broaden participation and train STEM students by providing research and professional development opportunities in the chemical sciences to deaf and hard-of-hearing (D/HH) students, underrepresented minority students and first-generation college students, primarily from institutions with limited research infrastructure. In addition, American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting students will be immersed in the science community. This both broadens the interpreters’ skills and expands the pool of professionals with science-interpreting experience, thus lowering the barriers for D/HH students to persist in STEM. Through the REU, both deaf and hearing participants learn together, removing communication barriers in the scientific research environment. This experience is expected to foster cultural awareness and provide for a more inclusive scientific community. Through this REU program, James Madison University faculty, along with a visiting faculty from Gallaudet University, will provide research opportunities in all major sub-disciplines of chemistry, with expertise centered in synthesis, biophysical chemistry, and materials. In addition to conducting research, REU students will also participate in professional development activities aimed at enhancing effective science communication. A faculty member from JMU’s School of Media Arts and Design (SMAD) will co-host workshops on the use of visual communication to inform both scientific and non-scientific audiences about the impacts of the research conducted at JMU on science and society.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.