This REU site award would provide research opportunities for 8 undergraduates (5 of whom from underrepresented minority groups) for 10 weeks during the summer. The research projects are in cutting edge nanoscale materials chemistry with potential biological and environmental applications and carried out under close guidance from faculty mentors. The participants will integrate in a research group that consists of other undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and visiting faculty. They will also receive an introduction to, and overview of state-of-the-art scanning probe and electron microscopes, lasers, spectroscopic laboratories on campus, and access to high performance computing facilities in and around Jackson, Mississippi. In addition to the research, REU students will attend seminars and short courses on Environmental Nanoscience, acquire technical presentation skills, and receive career guidance that will continue beyond the summer program. This award is co- funded by the Divisions of Chemistry.
