REU Site: Summer Research Program for Community College and Liberal Arts College Students in Physics and Astronomy

This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site at Texas A&M University-Commerce offers opportunities for six students each summer over ten weeks. It targets students from 2-year community colleges and liberal arts colleges in the Middle South region of the US, near Northeast Texas, which borders the neighboring states of Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. This initiative addresses the lack of research opportunities for students in this isolated region, many of whom may come from school districts with limited STEM resources. Participants will engage in various research fields, including physics education, nuclear physics, astrophysics, experimental surface X-ray physics, experimental semiconductor physics, and astronomy. In addition to working with a research advisor, REU students will participate in weekly activities designed to keep their research on track and to foster scholarly experience. At the program's conclusion, each student is expected to write a research paper and present their findings at a small group conference on campus. This REU site will have several broader impacts, focusing on providing research opportunities for undergraduates to help prepare them for future careers in STEM fields. It also aims to offer research opportunities to students at community colleges and facilitate the transition to four-year universities. The site has developed strategies to ensure participation from non-traditional students, women, and underserved groups in a summer research experience. Early involvement in research, starting in the first year, is one of the most effective ways to attract and retain talented undergraduate students in STEM fields. Special efforts will be made to assist REU students in becoming independent researchers in the near future. 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.