IRES Track 1: Soft Matter Research Experience for North Carolina Graduate Students in Dresden

“软物质”是指容易机械变形的软材料，如聚合物、胶体和生物材料。软物质研究将通过应对医学、电子、能源、可持续发展、农业和制造业的挑战而广泛影响社会。软物质有潜力以更低的成本提供前所未有的能力，并减少对环境的影响。该国际学生研究体验(IRES)项目的学生国际交换将通过分享想法和实验能力来推动软物质研究，并将通过参与学术队列和在国外开展研究来促进美国学生的专业发展。来自北卡罗来纳州立大学(NCSU)、杜克大学(Duke University)和北卡罗来纳大学教堂山分校(UNC)的博士生将在德累斯顿理工大学及相关研究机构(TUD+)参加为期10周的软物质夏季研究体验。北卡罗来纳州(北卡罗来纳州)的学生将在北卡罗来纳州进行出发前活动，并将在德国德累斯顿一起旅行和生活，在那里他们将与不同的东道主进行研究，但将有一个共同的学术和社会项目。该项目还旨在促进北卡罗来纳州和德累斯顿研究人员之间长期合作的发展。德累斯顿拥有一个充满活力的研究环境，自德国统一以来获得了大量投资，并欢迎来访的研究人员。TUD+的几个研究集群和中心支持软物质的大规模项目。TUD+的主办方将为IRES学生准备研究项目的简要说明。首批17名主持人表示有兴趣接待IRES的学生，这些主持人涵盖了软物质的所有领域。东道主将由主要的外国合作者进行审查，并将为研究项目提供办公和实验室空间、用品和设备，用于研究、指导和培训。来自北卡罗来纳州立大学、杜克大学和北卡罗来纳大学的博士生将根据他们的学术准备、推荐信、阐明他们对IRES经验感兴趣的论文以及与可用的研究项目相匹配来选择。代表不足的团体的参与将通过联系NCSU、杜克大学和北卡罗来纳大学代表不足的团体的科学和工程学会的当地分会来促进。IRES的队列将生活在一起，并每周举行一次研究会议。在暑期结束时，IRES的学生将在一个研究研讨会上展示他们的研究成果。在德累斯顿周围的几次郊游和短暂的柏林之旅，参观选定的科学和文化机构和历史遗迹，将教育这群人了解进行科学研究的更广泛的社会和历史背景，以及它对经济繁荣和政治稳定的重要性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

“Soft matter” refers to soft materials that are easily mechanically deformable, such as polymers, colloids, and biomaterials. Research in soft matter will broadly impact society by addressing challenges in medicine, electronics, energy, sustainability, agriculture, and manufacturing. Soft matter has potential to provide unprecedented capabilities, at lower cost, and with reduced environmental impact. International exchange of students in this International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) project will advance soft matter research through sharing ideas and experimental capabilities and will promote the U.S. students’ professional development through participation in an academic cohort and conducting research abroad. Cohorts of PhD students from North Carolina State University (NCSU), Duke University, and University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (UNC) will participate in 10-week summer research experiences in soft matter at the Dresden University of Technology and associated research institutes (TUD+). The cohort of North Carolina (NC) students will have pre-departure activities in NC and will travel and live together in Dresden, Germany, where they will conduct research with different hosts but will have a common academic and social program. This project further aims to catalyze development of long-term collaborations between NC and Dresden researchers.Dresden has a dynamic research environment that has received massive investment since German reunification and is welcoming to visiting researchers. Several research clusters and centers throughout TUD+ support large-scale programs in soft matter. Hosts at TUD+ will prepare brief descriptions of research projects for IRES students. An initial group of 17 hosts spanning all areas of soft matter have expressed interest in hosting IRES students. The hosts will be vetted by the principal foreign collaborator and will provide office and lab space, supplies and equipment for research, mentoring, and training for the research project. PhD students from NCSU, Duke, and UNC will be selected based on their academic preparation, letter of recommendation, essays articulating their interest in the IRES experience, and matching with the available research projects. Participation of underrepresented groups will be promoted by contacting local chapters of science and engineering societies for underrepresented groups at NCSU, Duke, and UNC. The IRES cohort will live together and have a weekly research meeting. At the end of the summer, the IRES students will present their results in a research symposium. Several outings around Dresden and a brief trip to Berlin to visit selected scientific and cultural institutions and historical sites will educate the cohort about the broader societal and historical context in which scientific research is conducted and its importance to economic prosperity and political stability.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.