Planning: PREC: Powering the Valley: Electrifying Chemistry at UC Merced

In this planning grant, funded by the Chemistry Division at NSF, Professors Michael Findlater and Ryan Baxter of the University of California at Merced will work with the Center for Synthetic Organic Electrochemistry (CSOE) to develop a partnership that could form the basis of a future submission to the ‘Partnerships for Research and Education in Chemistry (PREC) program’. Synthetic organic electrochemistry, the ability to make and break bonds using electrical current is at the forefront of modern chemical synthesis. This technique offers unmatched potential in making new fuels, materials and drug molecules in an environmentally-friendly and sustainable fashion. However, research in this space to date is only scratching the surface of what synthetic organic electrochemistry can do and yet many long-held beliefs on what is possible synthetically are being revised. This planning proposal seeks to advance training in synthetic organic electrochemistry for future workforce development, and in so doing build diversity and commit to broadening opportunities in California’s Central Valley and across the nation. This planning grant will allow UC Merced PIs to engage with researchers within the Center to share knowledge and to help their trainees to develop the skills needed to compete in the workforce of tomorrow at the leading edge of chemical synthesis. UC Merced participants will work in collaboration with center researchers and outreach coordinators to develop appropriate workshops to broadly educate the campus faculty and student researchers on electrosynthesis. Public outreach events are also planned to deepen the ties between campus and California’s Central Valley. In advancing the research and outreach goals described in the proposal, the PIs will maintain close and regular contact with center staff and research faculty to help lay the groundwork for a future PREC submission. 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.