| 1 | Rutgers University-Newark | GEO | | Dynamic Urban Environmental Systems and Sustainability | Engages students in research related to the environment and sustainability in urban settings. Participants are from groups underrepresented in the Geosciences, including community college students, who attend urban institutions or live in urban areas. The focus on urban systems allows students to conduct research relevant to their daily lives and communities and demonstrates how scientific research can benefit society. Students are mentored by research-active faculty at Rutgers University-Newark, receive professional development training, participate in enrichment activities, and interface with Newark community organizations and local government. | $387,969.00 | 09/01/2019 | 08/31/2024 | Ashaki Rouff | Ashaki.Rouff@rutgers.edu |
| 2 | Rutgers University-Newark | SBE | | Social and Environmental Influences on Brain and Behavior | This project is funded from the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites program in the Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE). The goal of this REU Site is to create an undergraduate research fellowship program. One of the two major aims of this program is to improve the diversity of our scientists. To improve the education, training, and subsequent representation of diverse populations in psychology, we will provide students from underrepresented backgrounds with rigorous research training so that they are better prepared to pursue a future career in STEM. Our second major aim is to improve the diversity of our science. Unfortunately, in most published research, variation based on context, socio-economic status and race, for example, is difficult to study, as our samples are not representative of the general US population. Instead of controlling for variability based on socio-emotional context, in this proposal, we seek to study it directly in an attempt to find systematic relations between this variability and basic neural, cognitive, and social processes. Overall, it is our hope that this training program will not only create a more diverse next generation of scientists, but that it will also train current and future generations of researchers who are highly motivated and well-equipped to produce more diverse science.<br/><br/>The 1-year fellowship program will have three main components—a) rigorous hands-on research training, b) professional development, and c) community engagement. To gain hands-on research training, fellows will receive a stipend to work full-time in a Rutgers-Newark lab in the Psychology Department for the duration of the summer. | $418,386.00 | 01/01/2024 | 12/31/2026 | Vanessa LoBue | vlobue@psychology.rutgers.edu |
| 3 | Rutgers University New Brunswick | MPS | | Physics and Astronomy Research at Rutgers University | This REU site will bring ten students per summer to the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Rutgers, where they will spend ten weeks doing forefront research in astronomy, particle (nuclear and high energy) physics, condensed matter physics, and physics education. The students will also engage in a program of field trips and professional development activities that educate them about the conduct of research and the prospects for careers in (and beyond) physics and astronomy. Most participants will be rising juniors and seniors, recruited from a diverse set of undergraduate institutions. REU participants will include significant numbers of students from groups underrepresented in physics and/or institutions with limited research opportunities. By improving their capabilities and confidence in doing research and arming them with the information and tools they need to define and achieve their educational and professional goals, the REU site will broaden participation in the physics and astronomy communities. The program also deliberately incorporates elements intended to stimulate a ripple effect, as students return to their home institutions and bring their experiences to bear on the engagement of their peers in science and research. <br/><br/>In a mixture of formal and informal settings, students will benefit from interacting with each other, with their faculty mentors and assigned graduate student "near-peer" mentors, with Rutgers undergraduate physics and astronomy majors, and with a diverse co-residential peer group from outside Rutgers working in completely different scientific fields. | $336,613.00 | 06/01/2021 | 05/31/2024 | Geraldine Cochran | geraldine.cochran@rutgers.edu |
| 4 | Rutgers University New Brunswick | MPS | | Advanced Materials at Rutgers Engineering | This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).<br/><br/>Non-Technical Summary<br/><br/>This award supports the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site in Advanced Materials at Rutgers Engineering. The objective of the NSF-REU activity is to provide unique opportunities to undergraduate students from diverse demographics to conduct state-of-art, interdisciplinary research in the field of Advanced Materials in a nurturing environment. The program features stimulating interactions between students and faculty/mentors, and access to professional development and entrepreneurship opportunities through research. The program takes a holistic approach to enhanced learning by marrying training in research with professional development. This program will recruit students from diverse populations, including from underrepresented groups, who have limited opportunities to perform undergraduate research. The overall goal of this REU program is two-fold: encourage undergraduate students to continue their studies while simultaneously developing their professional and entrepreneurial skills. This goal will have positive long-term impacts on the professional outlook and development of the REU participants.<br/> <br/>Technical Summary<br/><br/>This REU site will focus on the development of novel advanced materials with hierarchy in structure ranging from nano-scale to macro-scale, using computational, experimental and theoretical approaches. | $382,260.00 | 04/01/2022 | 03/31/2025 | Meenakshi Dutt | md860@scarletmail.rutgers.edu |
| 5 | Rutgers University New Brunswick | ENG | | Cellular Bioengineering: From Biomaterials to Stem Cells | The REU Site: Cellular Bioengineering: From Biomaterials to Stem Cells at Rutgers University-New Brunswick provides unique opportunities to a diverse population of undergraduate students to perform cutting-edge, cross-disciplinary research in the field of Cellular Bioengineering and develop a deeper understanding of graduate level research to accelerate their development as research scientists and engineers. The program includes strategic and impactful formal programming, active mentoring, collaboration, and careful monitoring of the student experience. The site includes a Cellular Bioengineering Boot Camp which introduces Scholars to laboratory and imaging skills that accelerate their integration into their research labs. Exciting research projects that rely heavily on interdisciplinary collaboration introduce the Scholars to a broad array of topics grounded in Cellular Bioengineering. A focus on Innovation and Entrepreneurship parallels the NSF I-Corps initiative for translational research to capitalize on the potential for new technology that emanates from the research. An optional day-long clinical immersion allows the students to engage with clinicians for hands-on experience with current devices and technology. Additionally, this site includes a focus on health disparities to enhance the impact of the comprehensive diversity of the cohorts by increasing our Scholars’ awareness of the disparate impact of biomedical research and eventual treatments on different US communities, including many to which the Scholars belong. Weekly seminars and discussion groups allow tracking and monitoring of the Scholars’ experiences while concurrently developing communication skills, career goals, and other professional skills.& Entrepreneurship enable students to understand how their summer re | $428,840.00 | 03/01/2021 | 02/29/2024 | David Shreiber | shreiber@soe.rutgers.edu |
| 6 | Rutgers University New Brunswick | CSE | | DIMACS REU in Algorithms from Foundations to Applications | This project builds on the long-running Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program at DIMACS, the Center for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. The program provides a rich scientific and cultural experience to ten outstanding undergraduates each year mentored by faculty from several Rutgers departments and DIMACS industrial partners. <br/><br/>The scientific goals of the project are mainly focused on algorithms and complexity, emphasizing the traditional strengths of DIMACS in theoretical computer science, applied in settings that include social networks, DNA analysis, prediction markets, and others. Student research spans both theory and applications showcasing algorithms in big data analytics, privacy and cybersecurity, bioinformatics, machine learning, and analysis of algorithms for streaming and privacy. In addition to involving mentors from different areas and even different disciplines, the program integrates activities with nearby industry partners, it recruits graduate students who act as assistant mentors, and combines with other Rutgers undergraduate research programs to add cultural diversity and an international element, through partnership with the European-funded CoSP program which is led by the Department of Applied Mathematics in Charles University, Prague.<br/><br/>The program immerses students in a unique multidisciplinary environment for conducting research on the design, analysis, and use of algorithms. A carefully planned schedule offers students a rich research experience that combines one-to-one mentoring with seminars, workshops, field trips, and other activities for a broad and enriching scientific experience. | $486,224.00 | 03/01/2022 | 02/28/2025 | Lazaros Gallos | lgallos@dimacs.rutgers.edu |
| 7 | Rutgers University New Brunswick | GEO | | Research Internships in Ocean Sciences (RIOS) | Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ will manage a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site program. The program, called Research Internships in Ocean Science (RIOS), will bring twelve undergraduates to Rutgers each summer for three years. RIOS is run at three sites, the main campus in New Brunswick, the Haskin Shellfish Research Lab and the Rutgers University Marine Field Station in Tuckerton, NJ. A total of thirty-six undergraduates will have a ten-week summer research experience that includes professional development activities and career mentoring. The internship support provides for student stipends, housing and travel to and from the program.<br/><br/>Interns who participate in RIOS have access to mentors drawn from an internationally recognized faculty, high caliber research facilities and multiple coastal sites. Through independent projects and team research experiences, students focus on process-oriented concepts and techniques applicable in any marine ecosystem. Group activities and independent research are embedded within ongoing programs, focused on the New Jersey continental shelf and adjacent estuaries, polar regions, and advanced ocean observing. Opportunities for student research include topics such as remote sensing, ocean observatories, autonomous vehicles, numerical modeling, and molecular biology. Students write research proposals, participate in research cruises, conduct laboratory and field research, analyze either existing data or data they generate, and communicate their work in various formats throughout the ten-week program. Finally, a poster designed for display at a national scientific meeting communicates their work with a summary of the hypotheses tested, approach taken, and new knowledge gained.<br/><br/>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. | $565,627.00 | 05/01/2020 | 04/30/2024 | Josh Kohut | kohut@marine.rutgers.edu |
| 8 | Princeton University | BIO | | Princeton Neuroscience Institute Summer Internship Program | This REU Site award to Princeton University, located in Princeton, NJ, will support the training of 10 students annually for 9 weeks during the summers of 2022 - 2024. It is anticipated that a total of 30 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities or from an under-represented group, will be trained in the program. Students will conduct research projects with faculty and trainees at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute (PNI) and will present the results of their work at an end of summer in an internal research conference, as well as at the Leadership Alliance National Symposium. Assessment of the program will be done thru the online SALG URSSA tool. Students will be tracked after the program in order to determine their career paths.<br/> <br/>Research at PNI spans the breadth of field, from molecular to human cognition to theoretical neuroscience. Summer interns are assigned to one lab for the duration of the program for an independent research project. PNI also offers a 9-week professional development workshop aimed at helping students successfully compete for entry into PhD programs in neuroscience or related fields. The summer program offers coding classes in Matlab and Python. Faculty give weekly lectures on their own research, and REU students willhave an opportunity to meet with former interns who have gone on to graduate programs and other research positions. An NSF GRFP workshop will take place mid-summer. In addition, there are weekly responsible conduct of research discussions. All students will present their research at the end of the program and will be invited to attend the Society for Neuroscience Annual meeting. To apply to the program, students are required to submit a personal statement, transcripts, and two letters of recommendation to be reviewed by the program Director and faculty members. More information about the program is available by visiting http://pni.princeton.edu/education/summer-programs, or by contacting the Director of the program, Dr. Ed Clayton (ec12@princeton.edu) or the PI, Dr. Jonathan Cohen (jdc@princeton.edu).<br/><br/>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. | $372,630.00 | 03/01/2022 | 02/28/2025 | Jonathan Cohen | jdc@princeton.edu |
| 9 | Princeton University | BIO | | Computational Biology Research - Gateway to STEM | This REU Site award to Princeton University in Princeton, NJ, will support the training of six formerly incarcerated students for nine weeks during summers of 2021 and 2022. The Site offers intensive exposure to scientific thinking for non-STEM majors with excellent grades in mathematics coursework. Students will learn how research is conducted, its ethics, its roles in society, and how to present their results orally and in writing. Assessment of the program will use the online SALG URSSA tool. Trainees will be tracked after the program to determine their career paths. <br/><br/>Computational research approaches are rooted in mathematics; and biology, being all around us, is a natural subject of human intellectual curiosity. Projects will span many departments and faculty mentors. Exposure to the rewards and benefits of STEM education and careers, and to the connections among science, biology, and the lives of their communities, may lead some trainees to consider a STEM major. STEM education offers high-level workforce readiness for formerly incarcerated students, enabling them to be valued employees who contribute to American economic success and become respected members of society, and opening paths to more rewarding futures for their families. | $152,049.00 | 02/15/2021 | 01/31/2024 | Bridgett vonHoldt | vonholdt@princeton.edu |
| 10 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | GEO | | Solar, Terrestrial, and Space Weather Sciences at New Jersey Institute of Technology | This Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site is based at NJIT's newly formed Institute for Space Weather Sciences that integrates the strength of three major research entities: the Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research, the Center for Computational Heliophysics, and the Center for Big Data. A total of eight students per year will be selected nationwide to participate in research projects in solar, terrestrial, and space weather physics for ten weeks during the summer. Space Weather is a relatively new and highly interdisciplinary field. Student training in this field is currently offered at a very limited number of U.S. universities.<br/><br/>The program will recruit students from institutions with limited research infrastructure and from underrepresented groups. The site leaders have several years of experience in mentoring undergraduate researchers. Many research mentors are accomplished solar astronomers, terrestrial physicists, and computer scientists. Each REU participant will be paired with at least one research mentor to work on a specific research project. The participants will attend a series of lectures and workshops and participate in other career development activities throughout the program. They will present their final results at NJIT’s International Undergraduate Summer Research Symposium and a professional conference. The development of the future workforce requires (i) an increased awareness of this discipline, (ii) an introduction to professional research at the early stage of undergraduate studies, and (iii) an exposure to closely related disciplines and frequent cross-discipline communication.<br/><br/>This site is supported by the Department of Defense in partnership with the NSF REU program. | $422,639.00 | 03/15/2021 | 02/29/2024 | Hyomin Kim | hmkim@njit.edu |
| 11 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | BIO | | BioSensor Materials for Advanced Research and Technology (BioSMART) at the Environment/Biotechnology Nexus | This REU Site award to the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Newark, NJ, will support the training of 10 students for ten weeks during the summers of 2022-2024. It is anticipated that a total of 30 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities or from an under-represented group, will be trained in the program. The program will establish an interdisciplinary biosensor research opportunity for undergraduates. The transformative opportunity for sensor research lies in discovering and applying novel materials. A significant development is needed to enable performance in the complex environments where sensors will be deployed. This REU will enhance students' ability to conceptualize and think through research problems in a collaborative setting. Participants will learn how to conduct independent scientific research, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences. The program will broaden the participation of women, students with disabilities, LGBTQ+, underrepresented minorities, and non-traditional students. Assessment of the program will be carried out through the online SALG URSSA tool. Students will be tracked after the program in order to determine their career paths. | $403,732.00 | 03/01/2022 | 02/28/2025 | Omowunmi Sadik | sadik@njit.edu |
| 12 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | ENG | | Optics and photonics: Technologies, Systems, and Devices | This renewal Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site: Optics and photonics: Technologies, Systems and Devices, hosted by New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) focuses on engaging undergraduate students from underrepresented populations and from institutions with limited research opportunities, such as community colleges, in research in the key emerging topics of optics and photonics technologies, systems and devices and inspiring them to consider continuing graduate education in electrical and computer engineering and related areas. Optical and photonic technologies, devices and systems are enablers for modern communication systems, sensors, computing, healthcare systems, and environmental systems. By focusing on next generation optical and photonics technologies and systems, this program seeks to increase the number of students entering the workforce with skills in this area. <br/><br/>This REU Site offers opportunities for undergraduate students to engage in optics and photonics research, with faculty mentors and their research teams, during an intensive and unique 10-week summer program in three focus areas: 1) optical communication and networking; 2) optical and photonic devices; and 3) optical systems. The REU students' laboratory experience will be enhanced by technical seminars and workshops on non-technical topics, such as presentation skills and ethics. Each student will prepare a final report and give a presentation on his or her project at the end of the program at NJIT's International Undergraduate Summer Research Symposium.<br/><br/>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. | $364,517.00 | 04/01/2019 | 03/31/2024 | Abdallah Khreishah | abdallah@njit.edu |
| 13 | Montclair State University | CSE | | Enhancing Undergraduate Research Experiences in Cybersecurity and Privacy-Enhanced Technologies | As secure software and trustworthy cyberspace are vital to combat diversified threats, this Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site at Montclair State University focuses on training students to solve real-world cybersecurity problems and aspires them to be the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. The REU site provides a diversified group of undergraduate students with immersive research experiences on advanced topics in cybersecurity and engaging professional development activities. | $395,470.00 | 03/15/2021 | 02/29/2024 | Bharath Kumar Samanthula | samanthulab@mail.montclair.edu |