REU Site: Research Experience for Undergraduates in Built Environment Decarbonization

The new three-year REU Site project will focus on Built Environment Decarbonization, which includes the manufacturing and transportation of building materials, construction, and facility operations. Eight REU students each year will address challenges requiring innovative solutions to reduce carbon emissions across the lifecycle of the built environment. Students will tackle real-world challenges in design, engineering, construction, and operations and explore ways to support the decarbonization of the built environment using advanced technologies. The program is designed to enhance participants’ understanding of how systems-level thinking and lifecycle assessments (LCA) can drive innovation in reducing carbon emissions in the built environment and related disciplines. Participants will engage in professional development activities about pursuing advanced degrees or innovation-focused careers through diverse research experiences, cutting-edge projects, and strong industry partnerships that provide real-world relevance. By offering a supportive mentorship framework, students will enhance their analytical reasoning, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities. The project furthers the interests of the nation and supports the mission of the National Science Foundation by promoting research in the built environment and enhancing the capabilities and competitiveness of the STEM workforce. This REU Site will engage undergraduate students in conducting applied research in Built Environment Decarbonization. The primary goal of the program is to address a systems-level educational gap by creating a novel, integrative pathway for undergraduates to engage in research and development in built environment-related fields. Students will participate in state-of-the-art research collaborations making use of methods and tools that include artificial intelligence and digital twins, Internet of Things sensing platforms, immersive reality, and smart energy assistants. The experiences with these and comparable technologies will enhance the participants’ analytical reasoning in areas such as design optimization, material substitutions, on-site construction improvements, utilization of advanced digital technologies and facility operations based on a lifecycle assessment (LCA) framework. This systems-level perspective will equip students with the skills and knowledge to address complex decarbonization challenges in the built environment. The program emphasizes applied and use-inspired research that bridges academic theory and industry practice. Students will collaborate with faculty and industry mentors on projects spanning design, construction, and operational stages and gain hands-on experience and exposure to interdisciplinary approaches. 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.