Research Experience for Undergraduates in the Chemistry of Materials for Renewable Energy

Summer REU Program of the Departments of Chemistry, Chemical and Biological Engineering, and Materials Science and Engineering with Support from NSF

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The University of Wisconsin–Madison Departments of Chemistry and Chemical and Biological Engineering, through support from the National Science Foundation, host an annual Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program focused on the Chemistry of Materials for Renewable Energy. Selected participants spend 10 weeks conducting research on a renewable energy project in chemistry, chemical engineering, or biological engineering.

Summer 2024 Program Details

Dates: May 28 to August 3

Stipend: $6,000

Apply online by Feb. 15

Eligibility

Eligible students are undergraduates who have
a strong desire to complete a Ph.D. and meet the
following criteria:

  • Have completed their sophomore or junior
    year of college.
  • Have an overall GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0
    scale.
  • Is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
    enrolled in an accredited college or university.

REU Program Highlights

  • Multiple, faculty-led seminars each week on various Materials topics
  • Professional Development program
  • An end-of-summer REU poster session in which students present their research results and conclusions
  • Social activities with students from other REU programs
  • A summer in beautiful Madison, Wisconsin
  • Students receive a stipend of $6,000
  • Housing and travel to and from Madison are provided

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Research projects in the Department of Chemistry include:

  • Molecular interfaces to nanoscale materials
  • Charge-multiplying nanostructured interfaces
  • Electrocatalytic interfaces to nanostructured materials
  • Unconventional and abundant semiconductor nanomaterials for solar energy conversion
  • Nanomaterials of semiconducting silicides for thermoelectric energy conversion
  • Nanostructured Proton Conducting Membranes from Block Copolymers
  • Theoretical modeling of new fuel cell membranes
  • Metal-metal multiply bonded compounds in solar energy utilization
  • Modeling the Interaction of Water with Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks
  • Chemical Synthesis with Sunlight
  • Surface-Tethered Metal Complexes for Electrocatalytic Water Oxidation
  • New catalysts for energy research – Hydroformylation

Research projects in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering include:

  • Pathways towards nanostructured materials for energy applications
  • Templated Assembly of Anisometric Nanorods for Solar Energy Collection
  • Heterogeneous catalysts for flow reactor processing of biodiesel
  • Rheological properties of cellulosic biomass during processing
  • Computational design of bacteria for biofuel production
  • Metabolic Engineering for Biofuel Production

Program Contact:

Dr. Andrew Greenberg
Director REU in the Chemistry of Materials for Renewable Energy
1415 Engineering Drive
3035 Engineering Hall
Madison, WI 53706
aegreenb@engr.wisc.edu
(608) 890-1534