SURFing the Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory (MSEL) and NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR)

Robert D. Shull & Terrell A. Vanderah (NIST), DMR 0648986 Between May 27 and August 8, 2008 twentynine undergraduate students from nineteendifferent U.S. universities (largest program atNIST) worked on projects in Ceramics,Metallurgy, Polymers, and NeutronCondensed Matter Science together withworld-leading experts in those fields. Theyjoined 102 other undergraduates similarlypartially supported by the NSF working onprojects in the Physics, Chemical Sciences,Manufacturing Engineering, InformationTechnology, Electrical Engineering, NanoscaleScience, and Building and Fire Research Laboratories in a single Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program at NIST in Gaithersburg, MD. In addition to living together and visiting each others’ laboratories, these students learned about other fields of science and presentation skills through a special weekly seminar and interactions with the staff. Oral presentations at the conclusion of the summer to the NIST management and staff showed the students had gained proficiency in areas as diverse as nanomechanical properties, miscellar gells, spintronics, combinatorial research, cell response in biomaterials, neutron reflectivity, and carbon nanotubes. This year a previous SURF student (Dr. Cindi Dennis ‘99) was hired permanently by NIST/MSEL.

MSEL-NIST SURF 2008

SURFing the Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory (MSEL) and NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR)

Robert D. Shull & Terrell A. Vanderah (NIST), DMR 0648986 Throughout the summer of 2008 the 130 SURF students were introduced to a multitude of experts in many disciplines, in addition to materials science. A sampling of these world renown experts to whom the students were introduced are shown in the picture to the left which lists the speakers and their topics specially invited for educating the SURF students.

At the end of the summer, all the students participated in a student symposium wherein they made oral technical presentations on their summer projects to the other students, NIST management, and NIST researchers.

A departure survey indicated that a majority of the students now plan on attending graduate school after obtaining their BS degrees. 8 papers were published and 7 presentations at professional conferences were performed as a result of last year’s SURF projects in MSEL/NCNR.

SURFing the Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory (MSEL) of the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST)

Between May 27 and August 8, 2007 twenty nine undergraduate studentsfrom twenty different U.S. universities worked on projects in Ceramics, Metallurgy, Polymers, and Neutron Condensed Matter Science togetherwith world-leading experts in those fields. They joined 110 other under-graduates similarly partially supported by the NSF working on projects inthe Physics, Chemical Sciences, Manufacturing Engineering, InformationTechnology, Electrical Engineering, and Building and Fire ResearchLaboratories in a single Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship(SURF) program at NIST in Gaithersburg, MD. In addition to living together and visiting each others’ laboratories, these students learned about other fields of science and presentation skills through aspecial weekly seminar and interactions with the staff. Oral presentations at the conclusion of thesummer to the NIST management and staff showed the students had gained proficiency in areas asdiverse as nanomechanical properties, miscellar gells, spintronics, combinatorial research, cellresponse in biomaterials, neutron reflectivity, and carbon nanotubes.

(Directors: Terrell Vanderah, Julie Borchers & Robert Shull)

MSEL-NIST SURF 2008