FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — This week undergraduate students from across the country will converge on the U of A campus to attend one of four Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs. The 10-week summer programs funded by the National Science Foundation give students an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a chosen research area while introducing them to careers in scientific research. The summer programs host 10 to 12 students each in the physics, microelectronics-photonics, chemistry and biochemistry, and space and planetary sciences.

Outside the lab, students will meet each week to hear presentations from campus experts about topics ranging from how to get into graduate school and test-taking skills to ethics and how to make a poster presentation. A number of social activities are also planned throughout the summer to give students a chance to interact.

Students in all four programs will also take field trips to an industrial site to gain a real-world sense of science in their area.

Selected students receive a scholarship to pay for room and board and an allowance to attend a regional or national chemical conference in 2005-2006. Students involved in the program are enrolled as students at the U of A and will receive one hour of research credit. The Research Experience for Undergraduates program will conclude July 29.

Chemistry and Biochemistry

The department first hosted an REU in 1959, and the REU in chemistry and biochemistry is in its 17th consecutive year. Participating students are chemistry majors who will carry out research in a chosen area including analytical chemistry and sensor technology, biochemistry and protein dynamics, inorganic chemistry and nanotechnology, organic chemistry, and physical and theoretical chemistry. For more information contact David Paul, (479) 575-5190, dpaul@uark.edu.

Microelectronics-Photonics

The REU in microelectronics-photonics (Micro EP) is based in nanoscience research. Students in the fields of engineering, physics, chemistry, material science, math, and other majors will participate. For more information contact Ken Vickers, (479) 575-2875, vickers@uark.edu.

Physics

The REU in physics is tailored to physics majors or those in fields related to optics and materials science. Students will perform research on several frontiers such as experimental and theoretical projects, nonlinear and quantum optics, optical properties of nanoparticles, optical properties of materials at high pressure, photothermal deflection spectroscopy, multiple quantum well structures, and optical methods for biophysics. For more information contact William Oliver, (479) 575-7579, physicsREU@physics.uark.edu.

Space and Planetary Sciences

The Arkansas Center for Space and Planetary Sciences REU attracts students from the disciplines of chemistry, physics, biology, geology and mechanical engineering to carry out research in the areas of geological processes on planetary surfaces, astronomical processes, instruments and engineering for possible use on Mars, and biological investigations of life on Mars. For more information contact Derek Sears, 479-575-7625, csaps@uark.edu.