REU/RET Site: Spectroscopy at Coe College

Coe学院的本科生研究经验（REU）网站为10名本科生提供了开展夏季研究的机会，重点是光谱学。这些本科生参与研究活动的各个方面，从制作样本到进行测量，解释结果，并向他人展示他们的工作。其目标是让学生体验一个工作的研究科学家的日常生活，并激发终身对科学事业的热情。该网站还包括教师研究经验（RET），每年夏天两名高中教师参与一个研究项目。教师们将利用他们的经验来开发课程的附加内容，通过分享他们的科学研究经验来激励学生更好地了解物理世界，并最终为他们成为下一代科学家做好准备。REU的学生将在玻璃科学、光学、粒子物理、分子生物学、应用数据科学（如应用于核磁共振分析）、探测器建模、生物材料和其他领域进行研究。除了研究工作外，REU的参与者还将在地方、区域、国家和国际会议上介绍他们的工作。该周期内的新活动包括(a)关于在光谱学中使用机器学习和人工智能工具的新研讨会，该研讨会还将REU网站扩展到Coe的数据科学计划；(b)普渡大学跨文化学习、指导、评估和研究中心（CILMAR）参与对教师和学生的培训；(c)增加学生日记。参与者将接触和培训各种技术，包括FTIR，拉曼，核磁共振，扫描电镜，吸收和荧光光谱，SPM， x射线荧光，量热法，阻抗谱法等。大量（且不断增长的）项目的设计适合本科生，但也具有挑战性，并导致外部研究人员感兴趣的结果。例如，在一个项目中，REU的学生将制造用于粒子探测器的高电子导电性玻璃。在另一个关于生物材料的项目中，REU的学生将使用共聚焦显微镜观察生物膜，观察膜内的细胞分布。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。

Coe College’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site provides ten undergraduate students with the opportunity to carry out summer research with a focus on Spectroscopy. These undergraduate students are involved in all aspect of research activity, from making samples to carrying out measurements, interpreting the results, and presenting their work to others. The goal is to allow the students to experience the day-to-day life of a working research scientist, and to inspire a lifelong passion for a scientific career.This site also includes a Research Experiences for Teachers (RET), where each summer two high school teachers participate in a research project. The teachers will use their experience to develop additions to the course curriculum, motivate their students to better understand the physical world by sharing their experience on scientific research, and ultimately prepare them to become the future generation of scientists.The REU students will carry out research in glass science, optics, particle physics, molecular biology, applied data science (as applied to NMR analysis), detector modeling, biomaterials, and other areas. In addition to the research work, the REU participants will also present their work at local, regional, national and international conferences. New activities during this cycle include (a) a new Workshop on the use of machine learning and AI tools in spectroscopy, which also extends the REU site to Coe’s Data Science program; (b) the involvement of Purdue's Center for Intercultural Learning, Mentorship, Assessment, and Research (CILMAR) for the training of faculty and students; and (c) the addition of student journaling. The participants will be exposed and trained in a variety of techniques, including FTIR, Raman, NMR, SEM, absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies, SPM, x-ray fluorescence, calorimetry, impedance spectrometry, and others. The large (and growing) variety of projects is designed to be suitable for undergraduates, but also challenging and leading to results of interest to external researchers. In one project, for instance, the REU student will manufacture high-electronic conductivity glasses for use in particle detectors. In another project on biomaterials, the REU student will use confocal microscopy to look at biofilms, looking at the cell distribution within the film.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.