This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program will take place at the Louisiana State University J. Bennett Johnston, Sr., Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices (CAMD) in Baton Rouge. CAMD is a synchrotron-radiation-based research laboratory, the heart of which is a 1.3 GeV electron storage ring. The science-staff members at CAMD maintain their own research programs while they also design, build and operate the accelerators, beamlines and other research equipment for the approximately 300 users who come from the LSU campus, other universities and research labs across Louisiana and the US as well as from around the world. A brief overview of the available REU-project areas is given in the section titled “REU Research.” Each summer, the program selects approximately 10 students for participation and women and minority students are strongly urged to apply. To be considered for participation, students must be U.S. Citizens or permanent residents. They also must be undergraduates at the time they apply and must still be considered undergraduates upon completion of the program. Students who will have completed their sophomore or junior years in college will be given higher priority in the selection process.
The CAMD REU Program is funded by the Department of Defense (DoD) Awards to Stimulate and Support Undergraduate Research Experiences (ASSURE) Program. The DoD ASSURE program is administered by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) through the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Materials Research, Award No. DMR-0553484. This grant has been in effect since the summer of 2006. For the summer of 2008, the program will begin on Monday, May 26 and will end Friday, August 1. Application deadline is February 1, 2008.
Participants will work at least eight hours per day, Monday through Friday, each week of the program. Full time commitment to the research is expected of each student, and thus any employment outside the program or enrollment in classes are not allowed. The first week will involve extensive training regarding the utilization of synchrotron radiation in materials research; therefore, all students will be required to be at CAMD on Tuesday, May 27, 2008. Beginning the second week and continuing through the program, participants will work on research projects with their chosen CAMD Mentors, one of the scientists on staff at CAMD or on the faculty at LSU. Each week, participants will meet together with the other students in the program and with researchers at CAMD for formal and informal instruction. Also, they will be expected to give periodic oral and written reports on their own research. The audiences will include all students in the program, REU mentors and other CAMD staff members. During the final 2 weeks of the program, participants will write reports and present talks that will be critiqued by CAMD staff. The research reports typically are 20-50 pages in length. Participants also will make posters detailing their work and will present these posters at a campus-wide symposium that includes all LSU summer undergraduate researchers (July 31, 2008). See the 2008 REU Schedule (pdf) for a look at the (tentative) formal structure of the program.
By making formal application to this program, students are stating they understand the requirements and are agreeing to fulfill the requirements as stated herein if accepted into the program.
Thanks to the DoD-NSF grant, CAMD offers a $400/week stipend for participants. For students who will need travel expenses and/or a place to live, there are funds and LSU-dormitory housing available. Students must request travel funding and housing accommodations at the time of application submission. All students in the program will receive a $91/week meal allowance which can be spent at food-service establishments on the LSU campus.
Prospective applicants are invited to visit CAMD, if they so wish, before choosing a summer program in which to participate. Please contact Dr. John Scott at scott@lsu.edu or (225) 578-4605 to make arrangements for a visit.
