Participant Support Costs: REU Site: Research Experience for Undergraduates in Nanoscale Science and Engineering

I. PROJECT ELEMENTS -Renewal of Previously Funded REU Site # EEC-1062784 -Project Title: REU Site in Nanoscale Science and Engineering -Principal Investigator: Emily Weiss -Submitting Organization: Northwestern University -Location at which the proposed undergraduate research will occur: Northwestern University -Main field(s) and sub-field(s) of the research: materials science and engineering, chemical and biological engineering, mechanical engineering, chemistry, physics, biochemistry, medicine, neurobiology, and physiology -No. of undergraduate participants per year: 10 -Summer REU Site -No. of weeks per year that the students will participate: 9 weeks -Point-of-Contact for student applicants: Margaret Connolly, Educational Outreach Coordinator, (847) 467-4862, [email protected] or [email protected] -Web Address: http://www.nsec.northwestern.edu/REU II. PROJECT SUMMARY The proposed Northwestern University (NU) REU Site in Nanoscale Science and Engineering will support a diverse group of ten undergraduates from colleges and universities around the country in meaningful hands-on nanoscale science and engineering focused research for a 9-week period over the summer. The program will be enhanced by a rich set of interactions including technical writing and professional speaking workshops, an ethics seminar, weekly meetings/seminars, and a field trip to Argonne National Laboratory. At the close of the program, participants will have opportunities to put their enhanced skills to use at the Closing Symposium, and by writing and submitting a paper for possible publication in Nanoscape: The Journal for Undergraduate Research in Nanoscience or professional technical journals. The proposed program builds upon twelve years of experience developing and providing meaningful hands-on research and educational opportunities for undergraduates from around the country through the International Institute for Nanotechnolgy’s Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC), as well as previous REU Site program. INTELLECTUAL MERIT With the establishment of the National Nanotechnology Initiative in 20011 and the passing of the Nanotechnology Research and Development Act of 2003,2 the federal government has clearly identified a need for a work-force of world-class scientists, engineers, and educators in nanoscience and nanotechnology. The proposed REU Site seeks to educate and engage a diverse group of undergraduates from around the country in this exciting field. The inherent interdisciplinarity of nanoscale science and engineering coupled with Northwestern’s achievements in the field and commitment to undergraduate research provides a unique educational environment for participants in the proposed REU Site. The program emulates the full process of research and dissemination, requiring that students consider their laboratory research in a communicative context. BROADER IMPACTS The proposed REU Site will strive to empower a diverse group of students, enabling them to complete a summer research project and preparing them for graduate education (83% of participants report that the program has directly influenced their decision to pursue graduate school in science or engineering-related field). Proven promotional efforts will ensure that a significant number of the participants are underrepresented minorities and young women (50% of participants in the previous REU Site have been underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities and 47% women). Results will be disseminated broadly through the Nanoscape journal and ot