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Overview of the REU Program

Overview of the REU Program. Steven A. Jones. Created for Louisiana Tech’s NSF-Funded Research Experiences in Micro/Nano Engineering Program. Overview of the Program. 10 week experience during the summer Work in the laboratory Monday/Wednesday Lecture/Workshops

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Overview of the REU Program

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  1. Overview of the REU Program Steven A. Jones Created for Louisiana Tech’s NSF-Funded Research Experiences in Micro/Nano Engineering Program

  2. Overview of the Program • 10 week experience during the summer • Work in the laboratory • Monday/Wednesday Lecture/Workshops • Social & fieldtrip activities • Bullwinkle’s corner

  3. What is NSF Interested In? • Attracting students to STEM careers • Student training • Student publications (conferences & journals) • Students as independent researchers • Participation of underrepresented populations • Cross-pollination among institutions

  4. What is in it for the student? • $400/week stipend • Housing • Food • Laboratory experience • A connection with a researcher • Connections with students at other institutions • Letters of recommendation

  5. Lecture/Workshop Topics • Formulating a research question • Project planning • Documentation • Ethics • Experimental design • Data analysis and hypothesis testing • Communication (Reports, Proposals, Presentations, Writing, Graphics) • Word, Excel, Powerpoint

  6. Bullwinkle’s Corner • Presentations by faculty on topics of interest to them, but not necessarily related to their laboratory work. • Examples • Mills: Forensic Science • Jones: Physics of music • Sawyer: Unanswerable questions • Johnston: Physics of horses • Anderson (History): Impact of technology on history

  7. What’s in it for the Mentor • Supply funds ($600) • A pair of hands • A chance to hone your skills as a mentor for short-term projects • Connections to other institutions

  8. Communicating with the Student • Daily emails (informal) • Weekly summary of activity. • Action plan for each week. • Group meetings. • Feedback from other students (e.g. a graduate student mentor). • Communicate with Dr. Jones

  9. Show Enthusiasm • Why do you think your work is important? • Why do you think your project is interesting/fun. • Show that you have a life outside of the lab. • Share anecdotes/stories.

  10. Social Activities • Lab parties/socials. • Encourage socialization with your other students. • Encourage the student to participate in REU-sponsored activities.

  11. Action Plan • Each objective includes • Title • The objective to be accomplished • The deliverable • The target date

  12. Objective Example • Title: BACKGROUND READING AND LITERATURE REVIEW ON LBL ASSEMBLY & NANOFILMS • Objective: (1) Identify literature on the application of LbL assembly to biomaterials for cell and tissue engineering. • What cells have been studied? • What materials have been studied? • What are the major assessment techniques? • What questions have been asked? • What controversies have arisen? • What questions remain to be answered? • Deliverable: (1) 1 page summary of findings, (2) Copies (paper, pdf) for our Lab files. • Targetdate: JUNE 10th. A longer summary will be due AUGUST 1ST.

  13. REU Expectations for Your Lab • Content Area • Laboratory Techniques • Safety Considerations • Expected work hours • Documentation • Communications • Meetings

  14. Example Expectations • Content Areas from the Literature • LbL assembly & NanoFilms • Biomaterials for dental implants • TMJ research • Osteoblast cell biology • Laboratory Skills • LBL assembly method • Cell culture • Immunocytochemistry • Protein Assays

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