REU-Site: Regional Initiative to Promote Undergraduate Participation in Experimental and Computational Materials Research

非技术概述：本奖项全部或部分由《2021年美国救援计划法案》（公法117-2）资助。阿拉巴马大学伯明翰分校（UAB）与阿拉巴马州历史悠久的黑人学院和大学（HBCU）合作，将举办本科生研究经验(REU)-实验和计算材料研究网站。该项目计划从代表性不足的群体和研究机会有限的学术机构中招收学生。本项目为具有不同物理、化学、应用数学和工程背景的本科生提供了广泛的跨学科材料研究经验。本科生将在UAB校园进行为期十周的研究，获得材料合成、材料表征、计算机建模和模拟方面的经验。这些科研项目是专门为本科生开发的，由UAB的理工科教师组成的跨学科团队。该项目将继续为所有参与者提供关于材料生长和表征、研究伦理和专业、创新和创业以及研究生院准备的系列讲座和研讨会。REU的参与者将在同行评审的期刊上发表他们的研究结果，并/或出席专业会议，从而广泛传播本科研究项目中创造的新知识。该研究中心计划培养一批本科研究人员，他们将成为科学进步和新材料发现的领导者，并为经济发展和国防做出贡献。技术总结：reu研究项目分为四个研究集群：(1)极端条件下的材料；(2)材料研究中的机器学习和模拟；(3)红外激光和光谱学；(4)用于药物输送应用的高分子生物材料和胶囊。本科研究项目将有助于对极端条件下材料相变和降解的基本理解，机器学习支持的材料发现，中红外激光器和量子信息系统的材料，以及3d打印生物材料和刺激响应聚合物。一些研究项目还将涉及在材料研究中使用国家x射线同步加速器设施和中子衍射设施。本科生项目具有短期可实现的里程碑，同时有助于长期的科学目标和技术应用。我们的REU参与者与教师和研究生的团队安排，提供海报和口头报告，撰写研究型论文，参加科学传播和伦理培训研讨会，将帮助REU学生了解如何发展成为具有分析，解释和展示科学数据所需的关键技能的研究科学家。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。

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in partnership with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s) in Alabama will host a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)-site in experimental and computational materials research. This REU-site project plans to recruit students from underrepresented groups and academic institutions where research opportunities are limited. This project offers a broad range of interdisciplinary materials research experiences to undergraduate students with a diversity of backgrounds in physics, chemistry, applied mathematics, and engineering. The undergraduate students will gain experience in materials synthesis, materials characterization and computer modeling and simulations during their ten-week research stay at the UAB campus. The scientific research projects have been specifically developed for undergraduate students by an interdisciplinary team consisting of science and engineering faculty at UAB. This project will continue to provide lecture series and workshops in materials growth and characterization, research ethics and professionalism, innovation and entrepreneurship and preparation for graduate school to all participants. The REU participants will publish their findings in peer-reviewed journals and/or present at professional meetings leading to a broad dissemination of new knowledge created in the undergraduate research projects. This REU-site plans to develop a pipeline of undergraduate researchers who will become leaders in advances in science and discovery of novel materials and contribute to economic development and national defense. TECHNICAL SUMMARY: REU-research projects are organized in four research clusters: (1) materials under extreme conditions (2) machine learning and simulations in materials research, (3) infrared lasers and spectroscopy, and (4) polymeric biomaterials and capsules for drug delivery applications. The undergraduate research projects will contribute to fundamental understanding of phase transformations and degradation of materials under extreme conditions, machine learning enabled materials discovery, materials for mid-IR lasers and quantum information systems, and 3-D printed biomaterials and stimuli responsive polymers. Some research projects will also involve the use of national x-ray synchrotron facilities and neutron diffraction facilities in materials research. The undergraduate student projects have short-term achievable milestones, while simultaneously contributing to longer-term scientific goals and technological applications. Our teaming arrangement of REU-participants with faculty and graduate students, giving poster and oral presentations, writing a research-style paper, and attending training seminars in scientific communications and ethics will help REU students see the big picture of what it takes to develop into a research scientist with the critical skills needed for analyzing, interpreting, and presenting scientific data.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.