NSF REU at CBiRC
A Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates
NSF Engineering Research Center for Biorenewable Chemicals
May 30 – August 3, 2012
The open application period for the 2012 CBiRC REU program is now closed.
Notifications to selected participants will be made by March 15.
Program Overview
REU students will work toward achieving CBiRC’s core mission of transforming the US chemical industry by integrating biological and chemical catalysis systems to produce biorenewable chemicals. The REU students will work in CBiRC labs conducting fundamental research to address the underlying technical challenges in the development of new integrated catalytic systems for the conversion of bio-based feedstocks to industrial chemicals.
In 2012, the REU program will enroll a class of 16 students, with all students spending the first five days in the program at the Iowa State University Site. While a large portion of the REU students will remain at Iowa State University, a number of the students will then travel to one of the partner institutions (depending on their research interests) to complete their summer program at a partner lab, while maintaining contact with the REU program through distance technologies for weekly meetings, seminars, and final presentations. REU’s will work in the following areas:
1. Biocatalysts for pathway engineering
2. Microbial metabolic engineering
3. Chemical catalyst design
4. Life cycle analysis of biorenewable chemicals
They will work on interdisciplinary teams with faculty, graduate students, post-docs, and in some cases industrial partners. They will also engage with students participating in other Iowa State University based REU program in seminars, short courses, research tours, field trips and social events with mentors, graduate students, postdoctoral associates and others involved in the research of biorenewables. Students participating in the CBiRC REU program will be expected to work in a research lab for 40 hours per week, participate in weekly lab meetings and all other scheduled events. At the end of the program they will be required to present their research findings both orally and in the form of a poster.
Program Details
Please review the full program details regarding eligibility, travel, housing and stipend allowances. This year we have close to twenty research projects for our REU students to consider. Please select your top three research project descriptions and indicate your choices on your application.
The open application period for the 2012 CBiRC REU program is now closed.
Notifications to selected participants will be made by March 15.
Program dates for 2012 are: *May 30 –August 3, 2012.
*Each participant is expected to stay on campus during the dates of the program with the exception of the 4th of July weekend. Any proposed conflicts must be noted in application and will be addressed on an individual basis.
