REU
April 10, 2009:
Rochester Research
Experience for
Undergraduate in Physics and Astrophysics Grant Renewed for Three
Years.
The department of Physics andAstronomy has been awarded a three year grant to renew its successful Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU)
program for another three years
(2009-2012). The grant which
totals $434,468 is the sixth award since the program was initiated in
1994. It
is co-funded by the Physics and Astronomy Divisions of the National
Science
Foundation and the ASSURE program of the Department of Defense.
The project, entitled
"REU
Site in Physics and Astrophysics at Rochester," is under the direction
of Professor Arie Bodek and REU
project administrator Ms. Connie Jones.
REU students have granered a variety of prizes and awards including the 1999
American
Physical SocietyÕs Apker Award for best undergraduate research. Two
REU
students were selected as APS Apker Award Finalists in 1999 and 2000,
and a
third won second place in the APS conference poster competition in
2001. Three
REU students won APS NY section Physics Outreach awards for their
outreach activities
and four REU students won the Astronomical Society of New York
Undergraduate
Student Prize for best research publication.
Since 1994, eight women REU participants have been
nominated for and won University of Rochester awards recognizing
outstanding
research by women students, including the Susan B. Anthony Prize,
Catherine
Block Memorial Fund Prize, and Janet Howell Clark Prize. At least
twelve
National Goldwater Fellowships, and at least six National NSF
scholarships that
have been awarded to REU students.
In 2002, REU student Stephen Thorndike and Prof. Alice Quillen
discovered an extra-solar planet.
The
University of Rochester's REU program in Physics and Astronomy enables
sophomores and juniors nationwide to undertake summer research projects
with
members of the Department, and aims at 50% participation by women and
underrepresented minorities. Since 1994, the fraction of women
funded or
partially funded by REU funds is about 50%, and the fraction of
under-represented minorities is 13%.
The number of
applicants to the
program is about 200 per year. A total of 12 undergraduates per year
are funded
by the NSF site REU grant and an additional 25 are funded by other
department
grants.
From 1994-2008, a total of 536 undergraduates funded by REU and
all
other funding sources performed
research in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Rochester.
During that
period, REU participants have given over 330 presentations at
professional and
student research conferences, and
co-authored roughly 286 journal publications and conference proceedings
and
equal number of abstracts. In addition, during this period University
of
Rochester participant have written 76 theses in support of their
bachelor of
science degree.
The program also
incorporates a
research experience program for high school teachers (RET). Since 2003, 22 high school teachers
participated in the REU/RET Site activities
Students
choose from the following experimental and theoretical research areas:
particle
and nuclear physics; quantum optics and lasers; astrophysics and
infrared
astronomy; condensed matter physics; biological and medical physics;
plasma
physics; and physics education. Students' research work is augmented by
mini-courses in electronics and machining, weekly lunchtime
discussions,
excursions in the Rochester area, and opportunities to engage in the
Department's community outreach activities. Students prepare abstracts
and
presentations of their results, and are encouraged (and provided with
financial
support) to present their work at national conferences, such as NCUR,
meetings
of the American Physical Society, and the RochesterSymposium for PhysicsStudents . Most
REU students continue on to graduate school (83%), some go
to industry (13%). A few students
(4%) chose to delay graduate study to teach science (e.g., through
Teach for
America) for 1-2 years (and/or longer).
Other REU programs at Rochester
include the REU/RET program in Chemistry, and the REU program in Cellular and Molecular Biology. Additional information on undergraduate research
programs at the University of Rochester can
be found at the Web site of the Office of Undergraduate Research And Mentoring, directed by SteveManly, Professor of Physics and receipient of the NY Professor of the
year award.