REU Site: Vanderbilt University Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Physics & Astronomy

美国在基础科学研究和技术开发方面的竞争力主要取决于一支高技能、训练有素的物理工作者队伍。物理学是美国研究和开发工作的基础研究活动的基础。范德比尔特大学夏季REU计划为本科物理和天文学学生提供了与教师密切合作的机会，他们可以在物理学的各个子领域进行前沿研究项目。这些领域包括天文学、生物物理学、凝聚态物理学（包括纳米科学）、激光物理学、核物理学和粒子物理学。研究导师都是资金充足的研究人员，都致力于亲自指导学生。一个广泛的研究基础设施，包括几个大型跨学科中心的设施，将提供给学生。物理学学生也将有机会参观政府实验室的主要设施，包括费米实验室，布鲁克海文，橡树岭和欧洲核子研究中心。作为该计划对领导力发展的强调的一部分，该计划包括研究道德行为的培训，并且作为该计划对发展未来劳动力的强调的一部分，包括关注扩大物理学中代表性不足的群体的参与。REU计划将产生广泛的影响。特别是，该方案过去六年的跟踪记录表明，新参与者中有很高比例将是代表性不足的少数民族学生，而且跟踪记录还表明，这些参与者中有一半以上将来自研究机会有限的机构。为了实现持续的影响，该计划旨在建立范德比尔特导师之间的联系，所有这些导师都得到适当的工资支持，并在学生的家乡机构的教师。这建立了一个更大的社区，为学生提供持续的支持，并提高了学生在REU网站体验之外继续指导和参与研究的能力。 学生也有机会在范德比尔特期间参加创业，计算和数据科学的迷你和短期课程，以及参加Fisk-范德比尔特物理和天文路演推广计划。 该网站由国防部与NSF REU计划合作支持，并由NSF数学和物理科学理事会的物理部和天文科学部支持。该奖项反映了NSF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。

American competitiveness in basic science research and technology development depends crucially on a highly skilled, trained physics workforce. Physics is foundational to much of the fundamental research activity of US research and development efforts. The Vanderbilt University Summer REU program offers undergraduate physics and astronomy students the opportunity to work closely with faculty on forefront research projects in a variety of subfields of physics. The areas include astronomy, biological physics, condensed matter physics including nanoscience, laser physics, nuclear physics, and particle physics. The research mentors are all well funded researchers and all have committed to personally directing the students. An extensive research infrastructure, including the facilities of several large interdisciplinary centers, will be available to the students. Physics students will also have the opportunity to visit major facilities at government laboratories, both domestic and international, including FermiLab, Brookhaven, Oak Ridge, and CERN. As part of the program's emphasis on leadership development, the program includes training in ethical conduct of research, and, as part of the program's emphasis on developing the future workforce, includes a focus on broadening participation of underrepresented groups in physics. The REU program will achieve broad impact. In particular, the track record of the program over the past six years shows that a high percentage of the new participants will be underrepresented minority students, and the track record moreover shows that more than half of those participants will be from institutions with limited research opportunities. To achieve sustained impact, the program is designed to build ties between the Vanderbilt mentors, all of whom are supported with appropriate salary, and faculty at the student's home institution. This builds a larger community, provides for continued support for the student, and enhances the ability for continued mentoring and research participation of the student beyond the REU site experience. Students also have the opportunity to participate in mini and short courses in entrepreneurship, computing, and data science while at Vanderbilt, as well as participating in the Fisk-Vanderbilt Physics and Astronomy Roadshow outreach program. This site is supported by the Department of Defense in partnership with the NSF REU program, and by the Division of Physics and the Division of Astronomical Sciences within NSF's Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate.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.