REU site: Interdisciplinary Renewable and Environmental Collaborative (IREC)

This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site award to the University of North Dakota, located in Grand Forks, ND, supports the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2023-2025. In this program, funded by the Division of Chemistry, and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), participants pursue interdisciplinary and collaborative research projects encompassing chemistry, chemical engineering, and atmospheric science. Along with their research, they participate in a series of educational and professional development activities, which include training in science communication and ethics in research conduct, participation in community outreach, and workshops on graduate school and career options. Students are jointly mentored by a team of faculty from different disciplines, broadening participation in STEM fields and giving them wider exposure to various scientific approaches and challenges. The program is especially focused on enrolling Native American students and first-generation students. The REU students are engaged in interdisciplinary research in the broad areas of renewable, environmental, and atmospheric science and engineering. These projects include the synthesis of sustainable polymers from renewable resources; development of luminescent carbon nanodots from biomass-derived products; computational investigation of lignin solubilization; and exploration of the chemical complexity of atmospheric aerosols and their impacts on clouds. The students receive professional development training, especially in effective science communication, to help them share science with a general audience. This training is put to use during outreach activities for K-8 children, inspiring both the children and the REU students to pursue careers in STEM fields. The program prioritizes recruitment of first-generation college students and underrepresented minorities, targeting those from primarily undergraduate institutions and Native American tribal colleges. 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.