Research Experiences for Undergraduates

NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates

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

• Student participants will spend ten weeks during the summer (beginning May 26, 2020) conducting research in the laboratories of USD chemistry faculty mentors on the Vermillion campus.
• One-on-one research experiences with faculty members will be augmented by educational workshops, meetings with experts in fluorine chemistry, a weekly seminar series and social activities, including a canoe trip down a stretch of the Missouri River.
• Student participants will receive a $5,000 competitive stipend and the possibility of an additional living allowance. Support to conduct and present research results at regional or national scientific meetings will be available.
• These projects are in collaboration with the USD Department of Chemistry Center for Fluorinated Functional Materials.
• Interested students must download the online application and submit a transcript and one letter of recommendation.

Apply to the REU

Undergraduate Research in Fluorine Chemistry

Research opportunities relate to the theme of fluorine chemistry, integrally linked to issues of national importance such as energy, security and health. A number of research projects available to REU participants are listed below; additional information about specific Department of Chemistry faculty and their research can be found on our research page.

• Fluorinated photonic materials for forensic applications - Stanley May
• Activation of C-F bonds on L-M-Z complexes with low-valent metals - James D. Hoefelmeyer
• Computation of the catalytic addition of arylboronic acids to trifluoromethyl ketones – Pere Miro
• Fluorinated anthraquinone-based sensors for the detection of heavy metals - Andrew G. Sykes
• Plasmonic nanomaterials for the detection of fluorinated agrochemicals - Chaoyang Jiang
• Tuning weak non-covalent intermolecular interactions to design new materials - Haoran Sun
• Electropolymerization of fluorinated polymeric materials for optoelectronics – Miles Koppang
• Catalytic fluorination mediated by biomimetic supercontainers - Rick Wang
• Computational Fluorine Chemistry - Bess Vlaisavljevich

The SPACT NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates

The SPACT NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates site at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, USD and South Dakota State University provides undergraduate students a chance to conduct cutting-edge research focused on security printing and anti-counterfeiting technology. Counterfeiting is a growing issue in the U.S., posing serious economic, safety and national security concerns. The REU program is a multi-disciplinary program with research opportunities in materials science and engineering, materials chemistry, electrical/computer engineering, chemistry and computer science.