REU Site: Physics at Kansas State University - Interactions of Matter, Light and Learning

该奖项支持堪萨斯州立大学物理学本科生研究经验(REU)网站。该网站每年有12名学生参与重要的研究项目，并在暑假期间与教师导师一起体验相关经验。有各种各样的项目可用，让本科生参与最先进的研究。对真正的科学的体验有助于参与者在职业、研究生工作和/或专业学校方面做出更明智的决定。无论他们选择继续学习物理学或相关技术领域，还是选择跳槽到不同的领域，聪明的学生在职业生涯早期做出正确的选择都符合国家利益。学生们将研究原子和分子在强烈和超快的光学和X射线脉冲中的行为，激光冷却原子的精密光谱学，光在光纤中如何非线性相互作用，纳米粒子在溶液中的性质，以及通过简化模型进行蛋白质自组装。他们将帮助建造下一代高能粒子探测硬件，改进中微子振荡的测量，并帮助教师使用基于研究的评估工具。这一经历将通过一系列讲座来补充，这些讲座将为这些学生提供开展项目所需的背景知识。参与者将获得向不同受众解释他们的研究工作的经验，还将阅读和讨论科学中的伦理行为。社会活动，无论是有组织的还是自发的，都将丰富这一本科生的研究经验。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award supports the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site in Physics at Kansas State University. The site engages twelve students per year in significant research projects and related experiences during the summer with faculty mentors. A wide range of projects are available that involve undergraduates in state-of-the-art research. The experience of what real science is like helps the participants make better informed decisions about careers, graduate work and/or professional school. Whether they choose to continue in physics or a related technical field, or choose to move to a different area, bright students making good choices early in their careers is in the national interest.Students will do research on how atoms and molecules behave in intense and ultra-fast optical and x-ray pulses, precision spectroscopy in laser-cooled atoms, how light interacts non-linearly in optical fibers, the properties of nanoparticles in solution, and protein self-assembly with simplified models. They will help build next generation hardware for high-energy particle detection, improve measurements of neutrino oscillations, and help faculty use research-based assessment tools. This experience will be supplemented by a series of lectures that provide the background these students need to carry out their projects. The participants will gain experience in explaining their research work to a variety of audiences and will also read about and discuss ethical behavior in science. Social activities, both organized and spontaneous, will enrich this undergraduate research experience.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.