REU Site: University of Washington Physics

This award supports the renewal of the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site at the University of Washington, Seattle. The program offers a broad selection of student projects from almost every sub-field of physics. It makes use of the University of Washington's strong in-house "table-top" experimental programs; its machine-shop facilities including a first-rate student shop; CENPA, a DOE center-of-excellence in nuclear physics and astrophysics; and theory opportunities ranging from the Institute for Nuclear Theory to Biophysics to use of a twenty-teraflop local cluster, as well as research into physics education. The award supports twelve students per summer. Selection will be competitive, considering past academic performance, letters of recommendation, and taking into account the potential for impacting the student's career. Each student participant will be partnered with a UW faculty adviser. Several Physics faculty members participate as advisers, as do selected faculty from affiliated departments. Student work includes: design, construction, and commissioning of instrumentation; data collection and analysis; numerical modeling; the development of software for such modeling; and theory. Not infrequently this work culminates in a journal publication. 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.