REU Site: A Community College Based REU Site for the Wyoming Region

This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site award to the University of Wyoming, located in Laramie, WY, supports the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2024-2026. In this program, funded by the Division of Chemistry, participants will pursue collaborative research projects focusing on analytical chemistry, sustainability, and renewable energy. Students will also take part in a professional development and ethics training program, with an emphasis on science communication and preparation for graduate school or industrial careers. This REU site broadens participation in STEM through independent research projects, workshop and seminar series. Participants are recruited from community colleges in the Wyoming region and neighboring states (MT, SD, NE, CO, UT, and ID). Students will work in chemistry research groups on a range of interdisciplinary projects related to renewable energy, polymers, and biochemistry. The hands-on research will be complemented by a variety of activities including seminars, professional development series, and travel to National Laboratories (National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Idaho National Laboratory (INL)). The professional development series will additionally encompass seminars on scientific writing, scientific ethics, data visualization, and social media management. 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.