REU Site: Atmospheric Research and Engineering Solutions for Climate Change and Environmental Challenges

Addressing climate change mitigation and cost-effective and/or energy efficient solutions of environmental challenges is of a critical need to improve environmental and public health. This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site will provide 24 U.S. undergraduate students primarily from underrepresented minorities, women and first-generation/low-income students the opportunity to participate in a ten-week summer program over three years for conducting atmospheric research and engineering solutions to address climate change and environmental challenges. Each year a cohort of 8 diverse undergraduate students will be recruited from a national search with the UAlbany REU site to work with faculty mentors from the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center (ASRC), the Department of Environmental and Sustainable Engineering (ESE), and the Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences (DAES). This REU project will develop a diverse STEM workforce of young scientists to contribute broadly to advancing the U.S. mission of promoting the progress of science and engineering. This project will promote diversity in undergraduate education and bring benefits to the society as a whole by increasing awareness of climate change impacts and yielding potential environmental and climate solutions that can assist regulatory agencies in developing appropriate management initiatives to improve environmental and public health. The objectives of this REU site are to 1) broaden student research experience and climate change awareness, 2) increase students’ skills and knowledge on environmental & sustainable engineering and atmospheric science, 3) enhance professional growth through collaborative research training, mentoring, and building professional networks, 4) enhance competencies in effective communication, self-confidence, professional adaptability, and leadership, and 5) develop interest among underrepresented students in choosing careers in STEM fields. The REU site will be structured in such a way that REU students can feel confident that they can complete the tasks successfully during the program. Students will have the opportunity to select their individual research projects based on their personal interests. Students will work in different projects that encompass a wide range of cutting-edge research in regional climate change and variability, aerosols and weather forecasts, aerosol-cloud-chemistry interactions, atmospheric chemistry and air quality, paleoclimatology and marine geochemistry, surface exchange processes-air-sea interface, renewable energy, sustainable wastewater treatment, biogeochemical cycling of carbon and nutrients, sustainable urban stormwater management, and energy sustainability. These REU projects will educate and train students with limited (or no) prior research experiences to push the frontiers of knowledge and advanced research experiences to tackle climate change and environmental problems. This REU site offers robust mentoring through student-faculty and student-student interactions and several events to enhance their professional development. 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.