REU Site: Undergraduate Research Opportunities in Chemistry for Community College Students at Old Dominion University

该奖项由《2021年美国救援计划法案》(公法117-2)提供全部或部分资金。位于弗吉尼亚州诺福克的老道明大学将获得这一REU地点奖，该奖项将在2022-2024年夏季支持10名学生进行为期10周的研究培训和专业发展。该网站致力于为社区大学的学生提供探索化学科学真实世界项目的机会。对于多元化的STEM劳动力来说，社区大学学生被认为是一种未开发的资源。参与的学生来自全国各地的两年制院校，并通过与潮水社区学院和托马斯·纳尔逊社区学院的密切合作，这两所地方机构拥有大量未被充分代表的少数族裔学生和退伍军人。获得早期研究机会、职业培训和一对一指导将有助于成功转到四年制项目，增强这些学生群体在STEM职业生涯中的留存，并引入研究生教育的潜力。REU学生将在更有经验的研究人员的密切指导下获得实验室实践经验，并以队列形式参与专业发展活动，包括实地考察、小组讨论和研讨会。这些课程旨在让参与者掌握在化学/STEM职业生涯中取得成功的工具。研究主题包括计算建模、有机合成和应用光谱学，主题从天然产品到可持续燃料，再到生物医学应用的材料开发。专业发展方案将包括关于转到四年制STEM专业的研讨会或讲习班；化学科学的职业道路；通过小组讨论和实地考察职业化学家的生活经历；网络和求职；负责任的研究工作。与会者将在现场和区域会议上介绍他们的研究项目，并酌情与他人共同撰写同行评议的文章。教师和领导团队将提供指导和个性化的职业建议，以建立一个支持网络，并在夏季研究经验结束后继续下去。该奖项反映了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 is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).This REU Sites award to Old Dominion University, located in Norfolk, VA, will support ten students for ten weeks of research training and professional development over the summers of 2022-2024. This site focuses on providing opportunities for community college students to explore real-world projects in the chemical sciences. Community college students are recognized as an untapped resource for a diverse STEM workforce. Participation is open to students from two-year institutions across the nation and through a close collaboration with Tidewater Community College and Thomas Nelson Community College, local institutions with high populations of underrepresented minority students and veterans. Access to early research opportunities, career training, and one-on-one mentoring will facilitate successful transfer to four-year programs, enhance retention of these student groups in STEM careers, and introduce the potential for graduate education.REU students will gain hands-on experience in the laboratory under the close mentorship of more experienced researchers and participate as a cohort in professional development activities to include field trips, panel discussions and workshops. These are designed to equip participants with the tools for success in a chemistry/STEM career. Research topics include computational modeling, organic synthesis, and applied spectroscopy, with themes ranging from natural products to sustainable fuels to materials development for biomedical applications. Professional development programming will include seminars or workshops on transferring to a 4-year STEM major; career pathways in the chemical sciences; life experiences of career chemists through panel discussions and field trips; networking and job searching; and responsible conduct of research. Participants will present their research projects at on-site and regional meetings and co-author peer-reviewed articles where appropriate. Faculty and the leadership team will provide mentoring and individualized career advice to establish a support network that continues after the summer research experience has concluded.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.