College of Arts & Sciences Chemistry

REU

Research Experiences for Undergraduates: The Northern Plains REU Site

We invite you to apply to our Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

  • Student participants will spend ten weeks during the summer conducting research in the laboratories of USD chemistry faculty mentors at the Vermillion, SD campus.
  • One-on-one research experiences with USD faculty members will be augmented by educational workshops, tours of local chemistry-related industries, a weekly seminar series, and social activities, including a canoe trip down a stretch of the Missouri River.
  • Student participants will earn a $4,000 stipend and an additional living allowance. Support to present research results at regional or national scientific meetings will be available.
Photodynamics and Nanomaterials Themes

Research opportunities offered fall within the themes of photodynamics and nanomaterials, areas integrally linked to issues of national importance such as energy practice and catalytic remediation of environmental resources. A number of research projects available to REU participants are listed below; additional information about chemistry research at USD can be found on the Department of Chemistry's Research page.

  • Photoactivated Nanodevices for Drug Delivery - P. Stanley May and David C. Hawkinson 
  • Polydomain Nanostructured Materials for Solar Fuels Catalysis - James D. Hoefelmeyer
  • Noble Metal (Pt and Pd) Containing Titanium Dioxide Aerogels - Ranjit T. Koodali and Miles D. Koppang
  • Water-Soluble, Luminescence Infrared Sensors for Detection of Metals - Andrew G. Sykes
  • Assembly of Plasmonic Nanomaterials for SERS Detection - Chaoyang Jiang
  • Robust Fluorinated Air-Stable n-Type Organic Semiconductor Materials - Haoran Sun
  • Ionic Liquids as Matrices for Luminescent Lanthanide Ions - P. Stanley May and Mary T. Berry
  • Fluorinated Metal-Organic Frameworks for Selective Adsorption of Oxygen - Zhenqiang Wang
  • Electrochemical Functionalization of Quantum Dots for Bioimaging - Grigoriy A. Sereda
Applications