In 1989, the National Science Foundation established a Center at Virginia Tech to conduct research and provide education focused on advanced materials having polymeric constituents. Both adhesives and composites were included in the charter for investigation and instruction. A highly successful and competitive by-product of the Center featured visiting undergraduates' research. In anticipation of receiving Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) grant funding for 2016, we are currently accepting applications from qualified undergraduates who searching for an exciting laboratory experience.
Our Program:
Future scientific leaders must effectively communicate across disciplinary boundaries relating to food, energy, and water, with a “molecules to manufacturing” perspective for recognizing commonly shared and unique challenges, discoveries, and solutions. Our primary objective is to nurture students to pursue graduate studies and academic and industrial careers in FEWS fields, establishing the pool of educated and energetic talent to fuel the competitiveness of our nation. REU MII-FEWS research will provide enabling polymeric materials for food distribution, water efficient crop production, real-time monitoring devices, advanced manufacturing concepts to print the next generation of membranes for water purification, and novel synthetic methods to understand predictable transport and diffusion through materials. Working in teams, effective communication across the population, and igniting passion for discovery remain cornerstones. REU publications will serve as a key indicator for our success. The REU students will emerge as scientific leaders in a critical area for our nation; the students will initiate an interdisciplinary network of scientists with a spirit of entrepreneurship and a passion for societal impact. Students will understand the social complexities of translating technologies to international communities.
The program is designed to instill in students a life-long motivation to create new materials and discover physical phenomena through the joys of research. Focus will be on science and engineering with added emphasis on building leadership, interdisciplinary teamwork and communications skills, and experiencing the gratification derived from integrating their science into the community. Particular focus will be on technical writing. The program includes a leadership workshop for the graduate student mentors, a community-building retreat with an ethics workshop, a short course on polymer science and engineering fundamentals and their potential at the food-energy-water nexus, and communications seminars covering topics such as developing a resume and applying to graduate school. The summer culminates with a symposium and technical paper. We commit to at least 50% of our REUs being women or minorities to ensure that they learn to work with a diverse group to prepare them for professional careers. The students will have opportunities to present their findings at a conference during the follow-up year.
Research Topics
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Sequenced sulfonation in poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) membranes for water purification and energy conversion processes
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Accelerating discovery with computation modeling of membrane performance
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Monitoring diffusion and transport in polymeric materials
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Metal organic framework (MOF) arrays as integrated artificial photosynthetic materials
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Controlled polymerization for charged block copolymers in encapsulation and membrane technology
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Macromolecular design of highly soluble polybenzimidazole membranes for separations of gasses in extreme environments
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Reducing light energy and protecting food quality
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Water availability and remediation in geosciences
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Universal sensing platforms for diverse water monitoring applications
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Impact of new technologies on household economic well-being and market outcomes
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Additive manufacturing of ion-conducting membranes
May 30 - August 11, 2017
Apply on or before February 1st
