Office of Research, UC Riverside
Ludwig Bartels
Professor of Chemistry
Chemistry Dept
bartels@ucr.edu
(951) 827-2041


REU Site: Materials Connection (MacREU R'Side)

AWARD NUMBER
008840-003
FUND NUMBER
33330
STATUS
Active
AWARD TYPE
3-Grant
AWARD EXECUTION DATE
3/15/2017
BEGIN DATE
3/15/2017
END DATE
2/29/2020
AWARD AMOUNT
$315,600

Sponsor Information

SPONSOR AWARD NUMBER
1659450
SPONSOR
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
SPONSOR TYPE
Federal
FUNCTION
Organized Research
PROGRAM NAME

Proposal Information

PROPOSAL NUMBER
17020276
PROPOSAL TYPE
New
ACTIVITY TYPE
Basic Research

PI Information

PI
Bartels, Ludwig
PI TITLE
Other
PI DEPTARTMENT
Chemistry
PI COLLEGE/SCHOOL
College of Nat & Agr Sciences
CO PIs
Esterling, Kevin M;

Project Information

ABSTRACT

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY
The Materials Connection Research Experience for Undergraduate Students (MacREU) Site at the University of California-Riverside (UCR) will provide 12 students per year with experience in working in research labs that target the preparation of an array of composite and thin-film materials, including 2-D materials, that form the basis for next-generation chemical catalysts and advanced electronic devices. These materials play crucial roles in a wide spectrum of technologies, ranging from oil refining to emission control to data/signal processing. The MacREU students will join research groups from Chemistry, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Bioengineering and Chemical Engineering, reflecting the broad impact of thin film materials. All participating faculty and research labs are affiliated with the UCR interdepartmental Materials Science and Engineering program, so undergraduates from a wide range of fields will be exposed to a highly interdisciplinary environment. The students will gain hands-on experience in a number of essential techniques for making and analyzing advanced materials. The REU site will actively recruit from 2-year and 4-year institutions, particularly Hispanic Serving Institutions, in Southern California. Besides providing the MacREU students with exciting research experience, this project seeks to form them into an outreach team that is effective in promoting STEM education to their peers at Southern California 2-year colleges and high-schools serving a population of 12 million within about 50 miles of UCR. At this same time, such activity will impart leadership and presentation skills in the MacREU participants in support of their future careers. This site is funded by the REU Site Programs of the Division of Materials Research and the Division of Chemistry.

TECHNICAL SUMMARY
The Materials Connection Research Experience for Undergraduate Students (MacREU) site at the University of California-Riverside (UCR) will provide 12 students with experience in a broad spectrum of preparative methods for composite and thin film (including 2-D) material growth through active participation in ongoing research efforts. Thin films and 2D materials play crucial roles in a wide spectrum of technologies, from activating catalysts for crude oil refining to automotive emission control to the next generation of microelectronic devices. MacREU students will join research groups from Chemistry, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Bioengineering and Chemical Engineering, reflecting the broad impact of thin film materials. All participating faculty and research labs are affiliated with the UCR interdepartmental Materials Science and Engineering program, so undergraduates from a wide range of fields will be exposed to a highly interdisciplinary environment. Specific research efforts will include growth of MoS2 and related transition metal dichalcogenides for electronic applications, preparation of materials for photo-/electro-catalytic water splitting, and development of novel atomic-layer and chemical-vapor based growth methodologies. The students will jointly be instructed in hands-on practical materials characterization including electron microscopy, Raman, photoluminescence, and infrared spectroscopy. Co-directed by a chemist and a professor of political science, this project will also generate quantitative measures of the success of the MacREU program as well as actionable and unbiased evaluation of the educational concept and effectiveness. This site is funded by the REU Site Programs of the Division of Materials Research and the Division of Chemistry.
(Abstract from NSF)