The mentors provide guidance, advice and direction for students who may have little or no idea what is involved in research. The REU program allows them to learn research methods, write a 10- to 15-page paper, prepare weekly research updates and give a 20-minute technical presentation while running equipment and experiments. It also helps prepare the next generation of scientists for a research career.
“We went through the whole stages of a research project in one summer,” said Drake, a junior chemistry major at Auburn University who Hubbard mentored last year. “I was able to get a bunch of really cool experiences both looking at analytical techniques and the extent of their chemical modification.”
Drake’s research focused more on chemistry – making surface modifications to cellulose to reduce the water uptake, since water absorption could affect the fiber’s properties and the composite’s performance. The overall goal was to find how renewable resources can replace traditional fillers in composites.
Greer, an engineering technologies and design major, said the program was valuable not just because she learned about research, but how to be a researcher.
“This is my first time having any sort of professional research. It taught me that there are a lot of opportunities and there are also many different fields of research that you can go into,” Greer said, adding, “Research is very complex, but also very rewarding. Especially when you come out of it with a working part.”
Drake, who is interested in pursuing a doctorate, said she learned important skills. “I’ve never really done a formal presentation in that kind of setting before, so getting that experience was really helpful,” she said.
“I really enjoyed again being able to work in that national lab setting, having both the freedom to do research and also the professional guidance that was provided. I’ve been able to use what I learned there for my research that I do here (at Auburn), so that’s been awesome as well.”
Clarkson said that mentoring is an important part of her work as a scientist. “My first research experience in a lab was almost the exact same way, as an undergrad. I just had a professor that took a chance on me and gave me an opportunity in their lab because they saw some potential in me.” Undergraduate research also gives students a network to call on, rather than hoping a cold call will result in an opportunity, she added.
The program also benefits the lab itself. “What’s very interesting is that when the summer students come in, it’s like the building has more of a buzz to it,” Hubbard said. “It has more energy in it, and it’s because you’ve got all these students that are coming in with a ton of passion and a ton of excitement for projects because everything is new to them. So it reinvigorates the project.”
UT-Battelle manages ORNL for DOE’s Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. DOE’s Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit energy.gov/science. — Lawrence Bernard
This Oak Ridge National Laboratory news article "Banana fiber provides ’a-peeling’ fodder for undergraduate research" was originally found on https://www.ornl.gov/news