REU Site: Undergraduate Research Opportunities in Chemistry for Community College Students at Old Dominion University

该奖项全部或部分由《2021年美国救援计划法案》（公法117-2）资助。该REU网站奖授予位于弗吉尼亚州诺福克的老道明大学，将在2022-2024年夏季支持10名学生进行为期10周的研究培训和专业发展。这个网站的重点是为社区大学的学生提供机会去探索真实世界的化学科学项目。社区大学的学生被认为是一个尚未开发的资源，为多样化的STEM劳动力。通过与Tidewater社区学院和Thomas Nelson社区学院的密切合作，全国两年制院校的学生都可以参加，这两所地方院校的少数族裔学生和退伍军人人数众多。获得早期研究机会、职业培训和一对一指导将有助于成功转入四年制课程，提高这些学生群体在STEM职业中的保留率，并为研究生教育提供潜力。REU的学生将在更有经验的研究人员的密切指导下在实验室获得实践经验，并作为一个群体参与专业发展活动，包括实地考察，小组讨论和研讨会。这些课程旨在为参与者提供在化学/STEM职业生涯中取得成功的工具。研究课题包括计算建模、有机合成和应用光谱学，主题从天然产物到可持续燃料再到生物医学应用的材料开发。专业发展计划将包括研讨会或讲习班，以转移到四年制STEM专业；化学科学的职业道路；通过小组讨论和实地考察，介绍职业化学家的生活经历；人脉和求职；以及负责任的研究行为。参与者将在现场和区域会议上介绍他们的研究项目，并在适当情况下共同撰写同行评议的文章。教师和领导团队将提供指导和个性化的职业建议，以建立一个支持网络，在夏季研究经历结束后继续。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).This REU Sites award to Old Dominion University, located in Norfolk, VA, will support ten students for ten weeks of research training and professional development over the summers of 2022-2024. This site focuses on providing opportunities for community college students to explore real-world projects in the chemical sciences. Community college students are recognized as an untapped resource for a diverse STEM workforce. Participation is open to students from two-year institutions across the nation and through a close collaboration with Tidewater Community College and Thomas Nelson Community College, local institutions with high populations of underrepresented minority students and veterans. Access to early research opportunities, career training, and one-on-one mentoring will facilitate successful transfer to four-year programs, enhance retention of these student groups in STEM careers, and introduce the potential for graduate education.REU students will gain hands-on experience in the laboratory under the close mentorship of more experienced researchers and participate as a cohort in professional development activities to include field trips, panel discussions and workshops. These are designed to equip participants with the tools for success in a chemistry/STEM career. Research topics include computational modeling, organic synthesis, and applied spectroscopy, with themes ranging from natural products to sustainable fuels to materials development for biomedical applications. Professional development programming will include seminars or workshops on transferring to a 4-year STEM major; career pathways in the chemical sciences; life experiences of career chemists through panel discussions and field trips; networking and job searching; and responsible conduct of research. Participants will present their research projects at on-site and regional meetings and co-author peer-reviewed articles where appropriate. Faculty and the leadership team will provide mentoring and individualized career advice to establish a support network that continues after the summer research experience has concluded.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.