REU Site: Research in Physics and Astronomy at Louisiana State University

The award supports the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site in physics and astronomy at Louisiana State University. This program is seeking to foster interest in careers in science by introducing students to research-oriented careers in physics and astronomy while further developing research-related skills and knowledge. REU students are recruited nationally and the students can be in any academic year. For the ten-week program, the participants are matched with faculty mentors based on student interests. Students join their mentors in active research projects, such as i) performing analysis on data from the long baseline neutrino oscillation experiment T2K, ii) instrumentation development and data simulations to support gravitational wave research, iii) designing quantum error correction codes and quantum memory for photonic qubits, and iv) analyzing astronomical data to search for exoplanets. There are weekly seminars and workshops that introduce the students to various topics such as faculty research, overall skills development, to common research resources, and to professional development topics such as ethics and professional communication. Students participate in field trips and other activities, some of which are coordinated with concurrent LSU summer science programs in computer science, biomedical science and other areas. Students from all programs are lodged in proximity at on-campus apartment-style housing, to foster group interactions and a sense of community. This site is supported by the Department of Defense in partnership with the NSF REU program. 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.