REU Site: Research in Materials for Energy Applications

Non-technical summary Funded by the Division of Materials Research, the University of Central Florida, a public Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), will host a REU site that will provide research experiences and training to ten undergraduate students in interdisciplinary projects within the theme of novel materials for energy applications. The goal is to recruit undergraduates, who might not otherwise consider the prospects of graduate school, to cutting-edge research opportunities that will have a lasting impact on their career paths. The proposed ten-week intensive research program will develop skills necessary for students to transition to graduate school or industry. Students will also benefit from training in critical thinking, data science and machine learning, ethics and scientific integrity, written research communication, scientific presentations (poster and oral), formulation of research hypotheses, and framing of research questions with informed knowledge of key literature in the field. The faculty mentors, representing Physics, Chemistry, Material Science and Engineering, and Environmental Engineering departments, have extensive research portfolios including a strong record of collaborative efforts and experience in mentoring undergraduate students. The program will include (i) a streamlined 5-day short course to introduce participants to the basics of the research projects, (ii) a short course on data science and machine learning, (iii) a 10-week research experience, (iv) a weekly meeting for all students and mentors to discuss research progress, (v) a workshop on ethics, (vi) a workshop on technical writing, (vii) panel discussions on career opportunities, (viii) a workshop on graduate school preparation (ix) one industrial site visit, and (x) social events to foster community building. The participants will present their results to the UCF community in a poster session at the end of their stay. An external evaluator will assess the program annually. Technical summary The REU students will receive substantive, hands-on research experience on a variety of experimental and computational topics under the timely theme of discovery of novel materials for energy applications which have the potential for strong environmental, economic, and societal impact. The projects are grouped into three broad categories: 1) Discovery of materials for catalysis, photovoltaics, and quantum information science; 2) Advanced synthesis and characterization techniques; 3) computational modeling, simulation, and data mining applications. Some examples of specific research directions include single atom catalysts, nanostructured electrocatalysts, topological quantum materials, two-dimensional materials, and transparent conducting thin films. The research environment at UCF presents an excellent foundation for development of a strong “cohort” experience. Specifically, the research mentors are members of the Renewable Energy and Chemical Transformations (REACT) cluster at UCF whose foundation lies at strong interdisciplinary collaboration and interaction between research mentors as well as participating students. The proposed REU program will help prepare a work force of highly qualified young scientists. This program will provide opportunities to a diverse group of undergraduates, including individuals from underrepresented minority (URM) groups and those from institutions with limited research opportunities. Students will be recruited nationwide, including historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and HSIs through engagement also of the Bridge Program of the American Physical Society for which UCF is a founding site. 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.