REU Site:Department of Chemistry at North Carolina State University

This award by the Chemistry Division supports a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site at North Carolina State University for the summers of 2009-2011. The program director is Elon Ison who is assisted by co-PI Reza Ghiladi. Eight students each year, recruited from outside institutions which themselves lack significant research facilities, will be selected for this ten week program in chemical research. The primary focus will be to expose undergraduate students to, and educate them in, one of many possible independent research topics in the fields of materials science, life science, and catalysis. By taking advantage of the geographic location of North Carolina State University (NCSU), this REU program will: 1) engage in a series of effective strategies for recruiting students from underrepresented groups, in particular those from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the southeast region and from the University of Puerto Rico system; 2) provide students with additional exposure to career opportunities in non-academic settings in the Research Triangle Park (RTP) area; 3) actively enroll students in the social and professional activities provided on campus and to encourage student interactions with other undergraduate REU programs at NCSU. Special efforts will be made to assist students in making professional and academic decisions by broadening their perspectives on chemical research careers and by providing research opportunities for students of all backgrounds with demonstrated academic excellence.This site is co-funded by the Department of Defense in partnership with the NSF REU program.