REU Site: Interdisciplinary Application of Advanced Polymers for Engineering Innovations

阿拉巴马大学塔斯卡卢萨REU聚合物工程创新基地将由对先进聚合物材料和跨学科应用的智力关注驱动。在21世纪初，基础聚合物研究和新的工业/商业应用有了很大的增长，如增材制造、生物医学/生物工程、燃料电池、纳米技术、可拉伸电子学和膜分离。然而，许多本科生在毕业前仍然没有直接熟悉聚合物科学/工程。对聚合物科学研究和应用的早期介绍可以帮助激发创新，解决一些国家利益的新兴挑战，如能源效率、绿色化学和改善医疗保健。由于高分子科学和工程需要跨学科的性质，在这个REU站点内的研究机会将为不同的学生群体提供更广泛的技术和解决问题的方法的视角，以及对未来研究职业的更深入和更严格的评价。一个由教师导师组成的跨学科团队已经成立，以帮助培养丰富的年轻工程师，他们可以为当前和新兴的工程挑战做出贡献。除了对聚合物化学、材料科学和工程领域的直接技术影响外，该REU项目预计还将产生许多潜在的成果。首先，获得聚合物化学的基础知识将有助于利用它来发现创新的解决方案，并将为REU学生在未来开辟各种博士水平的研究机会。此外，动手接触各种跨学科项目将提高学生与更广泛的研究人员和公众交流的能力。这是一项特别重要的培训，有助于将他们培养成未来的科学和工程领域的领导者和教育家。该项目还将通过与在该领域工作的专家和年轻校友的直接互动，教育学生有关技术转让问题、创业精神、私营部门基于聚合物的研究应用以及长期成功所需的领导技能。所有这些影响都将被放大，并特别注重从传统上代表性不足或获得资源有限的HBCUs和西班牙裔社区大学招收学生。该站点由国防部与NSF REU项目合作提供支持。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。

The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa REU Site in Polymers for Engineering Innovation will be driven by an intellectual focus on advanced polymer materials and interdisciplinary applications. In the early 21st Century, there has been a great deal of growth in fundamental polymer research and new industrial/commercial applications, such as additive manufacturing, biomedical/biological engineering, fuel cells, nanotechnology, stretchable electronics, and membrane separations. However, many undergraduate students still do not become directly acquainted with polymer science/engineering prior to graduation. An earlier introduction to polymer science research and applications can help ignite innovations that address some of the emerging challenges of national interest such as energy efficiency, green chemistry, and improved healthcare. Due to the interdisciplinary nature required within polymer science and engineering, the research opportunities within this REU Site will provide a diverse cohort of students with a broader perspective of techniques and problem solving approaches, as well as a deeper and more rigorous appreciation of future careers in research. An interdisciplinary team of faculty mentors has been assembled to help prepare a rich pipeline of young engineers that can contribute to current and emerging engineering challenges.This REU program is expected to yield many tangential outcomes beyond the direct technical impacts to the fields of polymer chemistry, material science, and engineering. First, acquiring fundamental knowledge of polymer chemistry will help leverage it to novel discovery of innovative solutions and will open up a variety of PhD-level research opportunities to the REU students in the future. Also, hands-on exposure to the various interdisciplinary projects will improve the students' ability to communicate to a broader community of researchers and the general public. This is particularly important training to help nurture them into future leaders and educators in science and engineering. This program will also educate the students about technology-transfer issues, entrepreneurship, polymer-based research applications in the private sector, and the leadership skills needed for long-term success by direct interaction with experts and young alumni working in the field. All of these impacts will be magnified with a special focus to recruit students from HBCUs and Hispanic-serving community colleges that are traditionally underrepresented or have limited access to resources.This site is supported by the Department of Defense in partnership with the NSF REU program.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.