REU Information
May 28 – August 2, 2024 (A 10-Week Program)
We anticipate, based on the availability of funding, supporting 10 undergraduates from institutions outside of FSU and several FSU undergraduates, especially underrepresented minorities and student veterans. The students will pursue research projects in broadly defined areas of photochemistry and photophysics, including organic and inorganic chemistry, materials and nanoscience, and physical chemistry and spectroscopy. The students will be provided with ample research space and access to reactants, synthetic equipment, and various instrumentation available in our department.
Our main goal is to provide REU students with an outstanding research experience in the duration of the 10-week summer program. The students will be participating alongside regular lab members in the activities of research groups as they pursue their own individual research project. The students will work closely with their faculty mentors, as well as with graduate students and postdoctoral researchers.
The students participating in this REU program will be educated in:
- Responsible conduct of research and chemical safety
- The use of chemical literature and databases
- Synthetic, characterization, and computational methods in chemical research
- Presenting research findings during group meetings, REU seminars, and REU poster session during the last week of the program
- Foundations of photochemistry and spectroscopy via online video tutorials and during informal brunches of the Photochemistry Café
- Writing curriculum vitae and résumés
- Graduate school application process
- Potential career choices
Planned social activities include:
- Ice-cream ice-breaker social
- REU students, REU faculty mentors & REU lab mentors barbecue
- Trips to sites for enrichment of scientific and professional development, such as the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory and the Tyndall Air Force Base
- Trips to the Wakulla Springs State Park and the St Marks National Wildlife Refuge
- Informative lunches with faculty mentors to discuss career pathways
- Weekly Photochemistry Cafés
Students receive a stipend of $6,000 for the 10-week summer program. In addition, the program covers the cost of the single-occupancy modern dormitory rooms with full board, which amounts to an additional ~$4,000 value for the summer.
Travel
The program offers a travel allowance of up to $750.
Housing
Students are housed in a residence hall on the Florida State University campus, within walking distance of the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry and university cafeterias. Downtown Tallahassee, with many exciting shops and restaurants, is also nearby, adjacent to the FSU campus.
Florida State University and the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
FSU is one of the two preeminent institutions in Florida, with the current enrollment over 42,000 students. The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry has about 30 research-active faculty working in the traditional areas of chemistry (analytical, biochemistry, inorganic, organic, physical) and in interdisciplinary areas such as materials chemistry, nanoscience, and molecular biophysics. The Department has been home for many award-winning chemists, including a Nobel laureate, members of the National Academy of Sciences, fellows of the American Chemical Society and Royal Society of Chemistry, and NSF Career awardees.
Facilities
Our Department offers students the chance to use state-of-the-art facilities for NMR spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, magnetic characterization, laser spectroscopy, and high-performance computing. All students have an opportunity for hands-on training with and regular use of the equipment required in their research project.
Local Information
Tallahassee is the capital of Florida, with the population around 200,000. It is home to the state government and two major universities-Florida State and Florida A&M. The city features a beautiful downtown and many restaurants, cafes, bars, parks, and recreational areas. The Maclay Gardens State Park is located within the city limits, while the Wakulla Springs State Park and the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge are easily accessible by car in less than 1 hour. The climate is very sunny but also humid. The average temperatures in June-August are highs of 90-92 oF and lows of 69-72 oF.
