REU Site: Sustainable Physics at Penn State: From the Subatomic to the Cosmos

This award supports a new Physics Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site at Pennsylvania State University. The award will support eight students per year for summer research in multidisciplinary physics topics with a common theme of sustainability aimed at developing awareness for the many-faceted impact of physics research on the planet. The undergraduate students will participate in a 10 week summer research experience, together with career development training focused on the convergence between cutting edge physics research and its environmental, social, and global impacts. Research seminars and professional development activities will fortify students' research experience through communication skills training and sustainability-awareness, enhancing their qualifications and preparation for future research careers. Participants' culminating experience will be threefold: participation in a large, end-of-summer research symposium, an option to present at a national or local conference, and a written reflection on the sustainability aspects of their research to be shared with their research group. REU participants will contribute to research projects spanning particle and astroparticle physics, cosmology, gravitational wave astronomy, atomic molecular and optical physics, and condensed matter physics, mentored by one of the 28 physics faculty conducting experimental, theoretical or computational research with active undergraduate student participation. Specific topics include multi-messenger astrophysics, dark matter, quantum information, two-dimensional nanoscale materials, material memory and photonics. REU participants will develop research skills through their mentored projects, and will participate in career-forward activities for increased research confidence and success, including lab safety and ethics training, research seminars, lab visits, and scientific communication assignments. 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.