REU Site: Collaborative Research: Research Opportunities in Rock Deformation

岩石变形是地球科学的一个分支学科，它使用地质学和工程学方法来测量岩石的强度。关于岩石强度的信息可以应用于工程、自然灾害、材料科学以及地质学中的广泛问题。然而，很少有科学家专门研究岩石变形；因此，许多重要的研究问题仍未探索或未充分探索，减缓了科学和工程的进步。在主要为本科生或主要为少数民族服务的机构中，地球科学部门通常没有活跃的岩石变形研究项目，处理岩石变形的实验室相对较少。这个REU网站的目的是增加访问和接触不同的学生群体在这一领域的就业机会。该项目为本科生提供了在全国11个最先进的岩石变形实验实验室之一进行夏季研究的独特机会。每年夏天，岩石变形专家将为10名学生提供指导。该REU网站为来自不同背景的学生提供访问和培训，专业和职业发展活动以及强大的劳动力发展。REU网站将为实验岩石变形领域的本科生提供研究和指导机会。长期目标是增加从事岩石变形研究或工业职业的学生的数量和多样性。学生参与者将接受研究方法和专业发展主题的培训，为研究生院或相关职业道路提供稳定的基础。一个由pi和资深参与者组成的大型团队确保参加该计划的学生将拥有深厚的专业网络，以支持他们未来的努力。学生将从各个高等教育机构中选拔。重点将放在招收来自不同背景和代表性不足的学生，以及没有岩石变形研究项目的小型学院和大学。REU现场将包括三个综合环节：一个现场环节，向学生介绍变形岩石的地质研究；一个实验室环节，学生对现场采集的标本进行实验；一个会议环节，学生可以展示他们的研究项目的结果。REU站点将采用分布式模型，利用pi和其他高级参与者的联合实验室能力，每年支持10名学生。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。

Rock deformation, a sub-discipline of Earth science, uses geology and engineering methods to measure the strength of rocks. Information about rock strength can be applied to a wide range of problems in engineering, natural hazards, and material science, as well as geology. However, very few scientists specialize in the field of rock deformation; thus, many important research questions remain unexplored or underexplored, slowing advances in science and engineering. Geoscience departments at primarily undergraduate or primarily minority-serving institutions often do not have active rock deformation research programs and labs that deal with rock deformation are relatively rare. This REU site aims to increase access and exposure of a diverse population of students to career opportunities in this area. The project offers undergraduate students the unique opportunity to conduct summer research at one of eleven state-of-the-art, experimental rock deformation labs across the country. Experts in rock deformation will serve as mentors to a cohort of 10 students each summer. This REU site provides access and training, professional and career development activities, and robust workforce development for students from all backgrounds.The REU site will provide research and mentorship opportunities for undergraduate students in the field of experimental rock deformation. The long-term objective is to increase the number and diversity of students pursuing research or industry careers in rock deformation. Student participants will receive training in research methods and professional development topics that will provide a stable foundation for graduate school or related career paths. A large team of PIs and senior participants ensures that students who participate in the program will have a deep professional network to support their future endeavors. Students will be drawn from the full spectrum of higher education institutions. Strong emphases will be placed on recruiting students from diverse and under-represented backgrounds, and smaller colleges and universities that do not have research programs in rock deformation. The REU site will include three integrated sessions: a field session to introduce students to the geological study of deformed rocks, a laboratory session where students conduct experiments on specimens collected during the field session, and a conference session where students can present the results of their research projects. The REU site will adopt a distributed model, leveraging the combined lab capacity of the PIs and other senior participants to support 10 students per year.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.