REU Site: Research in Symmetries at the University of Kentucky

This award supports a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site at the University of Kentucky. Ten undergraduate students per year will participate in the 10-week summer REU site in Physics and Astronomy. REU students will participate in research projects that address issues at the forefront of modern physics and astronomy: What is the origin of matter in the universe? Is there new high-energy physics which modifies the magnetic moment of the muon? What is the nature of dark matter and dark energy that dominate the composition of the universe? What prevents stars from forming from the cold dense gas in the centers of massive clusters of galaxies? What types of phase transitions must be understood in terms of topological invariants instead of broken symmetries? What materials host exotic quantum spin liquid phases? REU students will be trained with knowledge and skills to address these fundamental questions. The REU program focuses on individual mentored research projects in nuclear physics, condensed matter physics, and astronomy, loosely related through the central theme of symmetry. These research topics are part of the research programs of faculty mentors funded by NSF, the Department of Energy, and NASA, tailored for accessibility to 2nd and 3rd year undergraduates. They involve advanced physics techniques that are not normally available at smaller institutions. REU participants will work together with graduate students and postdocs in the lab, interacting daily with their mentors to produce publishable results in these areas at the frontiers of physics and astronomy. The program will also include professional development through a series of seminars and workshops and include specific technical training in computation and data analysis. Students will present results at a local poster session and be encouraged to present at national conferences. 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.