CMDITR Review of Undergraduate Research - Pluto - University of ...

Welcome to the premier issue of the
CMDITR Review of Undergraduate Research
The premier issue of the Review features extended abstracts of students
who participated in the National Science Foundation (NSF) Center on
Materials and Devices for Information Technology Research (CMDITR)
Summer 2004 Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program.
As you may know, an REU experience often acts as a launching point or
catalyst for entry by undergraduates into technical fields of study. The
REU experience is symbiotic in nature as it supports not only the
undergraduate participant who learns first-hand prior to committing to
graduate study, but also the more senior members of his or her lab —
faculty members, research scientists, post-doctoral fellows, and graduate
students. While working with REU students, graduate students and postdocs
practice teaching and mentoring skills needed to manage the labs
they will be responsible for in the future. Faculty members and other
researchers, who share their expertise with these enthusiastic learners, also
benefit as they reflect on the excitement upon which their careers have
been built.
The CMDITR REU Summer Program placed undergraduate students from
across the United States in CMDITR state-of-the-art research labs at
Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Arizona, and University of
Washington. The undergraduate students in this program worked on
authentic interdisciplinary research contributing to advancements in
information technology with researchers in the fields of chemistry,
physics, optics, materials science and engineering, and mechanical
engineering. The REU Program emphasized the teamwork nature of
scientific research and was supplemented by a collection of activities
including ethics training and workshops to effectively communicate
science and engineering.
The role of the Review is to offer a forum for participants involved in the
CMDITR REU to share their research with their REU peers, future REU
students, CMDITR graduate students and faculty members, and others
interested in the work of CMDITR. The Review is also a forum that
depicts the breadth and depth of CMDITR research.
To learn more about the CMDITR REU program and opportunities please
visit http://stc-mditr.org/REU
The extended abstracts included in the Review are presented in
alphabetical order by the participant’s last name.
CMDITR Review of Undergraduate Research Vol. 1 No. 1 Summer 2004 3