REU Site: Summer Bridge Program in Experimental Physics

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This award supports the continuation of the REU program in physics at the University of Arizona. Students may choose from a wide variety of forefront physics activities, under the direction of senior faculty members from the Department of Physics at the University of Arizona, or also from in research groups located in several other university academic units including Astronomy, Chemistry, Optical Sciences, Lunar and Planetary Studies, and Atmospheric Sciences. The primary source of participants is students who have completed the equivalent of the first or second year curriculum in science or engineering at Pima Community College, in preparation for transfer to a 4-year degree program (although all undergraduate students are eligible to apply). Graduate Teaching Assistants from the physics department serve as mentors for the participants. Special orientation and skills activities are individually tailored to enable the students to make significant contributions to the research projects.Students are trained for research in an intensive training camp for 1.5 weeks at the start of the REU. Here they learn essential lab skills such as machining, digital electronics and computer interfacing, taught by trained faculty and graduate mentors; they take part in team-building exercises such as scientific speaking and a catapult competition; and they tour the various research labs offering summer REU work. Participants are matched to research labs according to student preferences and skills, for a research experience lasting 8.5 weeks, culminating in a half-day REU symposium. Students are closely guided by the graduate mentors during the research period.