REU/RET Site: Physics and Astronomy at the University of Minnesota

This award supports the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site in Physics and Astronomy at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. The site will engage ten undergraduates per year in summer research projects. Each student works in a research group to make the transition from mastering old knowledge to participating in the creation of new knowledge. As described in the National Academy of Sciences report Rising Above the Gathering Storm, the national need for trained scientists and engineers is expected to increase dramatically in the coming years. Classroom instruction is an important component of a scientific education, but the primary way of preparing the next generation of research scientists is by having them perform scientific research as enabled through this site.

In addition to participating in frontier research, the participants attend weekly research seminars given by faculty members, tour the Ash River NOvA Neutrino Detector in northen Minnesota to see an example of big science performed outside of a single university laboratory and take ethics and safety training. Undergraduate research topics include projects in Condensed Matter Physics, Particle Physics, Biophysics, High Energy Astrophysics and Cosmology, Space and Planetary Physics, and Astronomy and Astrophysics. At the conclusion of the summer program, participants describe their results through oral presentations to their peers, in poster presentations, and through a written report. This award is supported by the Research Experiences for Undergraduates Programs in the Division of Physics and the Division of Astronomical Sciences.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.