REU Site: Global Sustainability through Chemistry at the University at Buffalo

This award by the Chemistry Division supports a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site at the University at Buffalo for the summers of 2009-2011. The program director is Janet Morrow and the co-director is Sarbajit Banerjee. Eight students will participate in a ten-week program by working with faculty members on chemistry projects relating to global sustainability including inorganic /organic materials for catalysis and energy related research, environmental analytical chemistry, medicinal chemistry and chemical biology. The program will recruit students from local and national colleges and universities, especially from primarily undergraduate institutions. In addition, recruiting efforts are focused on institutions with underrepresented groups including Puerto Rican institutions, colleges in the New York City area and institutions that participate in New York state LSAMP program. Students will attend weekly lectures and workshops on ethics, selection of graduate schools, careers, and research topics. Group activities to build a community of practice will include weekly research meetings with graduate student and faculty mentors, an oral presentation for the REU participants and mentors, and a poster presentation for students and faculty. In addition, there will be field trips to several chemical industry sites and research centers in Western New York to expose students to different careers in chemistry. Both formal and informal evaluations will be conducted with the help of an external evaluator, Rene Palmer, from St. John?s University.