Multidisciplinary REU site at Cleveland State University: Synthesis, Assembly, and Characterization of Soft Matter.

Cleveland State University’s NSF sponsored REU site on Synthesis, Assembly and Characterization of Soft Matter Systems is in the second 3-year period. The program is housed in the CSU’s Physics Department but includes faculty from CSU’s Physics, Math, Chemical & Biomedical Engineering and collaborators at Case Western Reserve University. The objective of our Soft Matter REU site is to involve undergraduate physics and engineering majors in meaningful interdisciplinary research projects within soft matter science and engineering focusing on the unique properties and applications of soft matter materials. A primary goal of our site is to encourage students to continue in STEM fields as either graduate students or workforce members. CSU’s focus on Engaged Learning has cultivated a strong culture of support for undergraduate research, and REU participants benefit from this culture. Students receive one-on-one mentoring from experienced faculty and participate in a variety of professional development opportunities. The culture of collaborative multidisciplinary research at CSU would provide students with a unique perspective of working among peers and faculty from different academic disciplines. This poster will give an overview of the student research accomplishments and experiences from its first REU cycle. It will focus the benefits of the experience to both students and faculty mentors.