REU Site: Undergraduate Research in Physics at the University of South Carolina

This award supports the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site in Physics at the University of South Carolina. The site engages ten undergraduate students per year for ten weeks working in various research projects, which include particle, nuclear, condensed matter, theoretical and computational physics. A wide range of projects are available from faculty mentors that involve the undergraduates in state-of-the-art research and there are substantial facilities. By participating in high level scientific research, students will have an understanding of this area. Whether they choose to continue in physics or a related technical field, or choose to move to a different area, bright students making good choices early in their careers is in the national interest. Students will do research on how quantum gravity can be tested with high precision atomic clocks, of how to change the properties and functions of materials that are exposed to pulsed or oscillating external fields, various nanotechnology projects related to nanomanufacturing and magnetic-field directed self-assembly, creation of programmable meta-materials and memresistor fabrication as well as hybrid nanostructures, studying atomic models using scanning tunneling microscopes and x-ray measurements, studies of muonic hydrogen and studying physics beyond the standard model in charmed meson and baryon decays. This experience will be supplemented by numerous group activities including weekly presentations and day trips. Social activities, both organized and spontaneous, will enrich this undergraduate research experience. This project is jointly funded by the Integrative Activities in Physics Program, and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). 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.