Integrated Computational and Experimental (ICE) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)
The ICE - REU is a program at the Department of Chemistry at NC State University under the direction of Prof. Elena Jakuikova and Prof. Elon Ison.
Facts and Updates
The department has hosted the REU site almost continually since 2001. In the 2014-2017 funding cycle, we introduced the computational component to this REU site and have been successful in achieving the goals of:
- Providing students from primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs) with an opportunity to perform chemical research at a research-intensive university
- Assisting students in career and academic decisions
- Providing research opportunities to students from underrepresented groups (persons of color, women, and first-generation college students).
This is evident with our track record of recruiting women and students from underrepresented groups, the number of our students that have gone on to graduate and professional schools, and the number of students who have completed degrees and started careers in STEM fields.
Importantly, the unified computational theme has allowed us to create a cohort of students and provided a mechanism for real-time evaluation and assessment of research projects. Female participants have comprised 67% of these REU students, 90% of the external participants (i.e., not from NCSU) have been from undergraduate institutions that lack Ph.D. programs, and 43% have been from underrepresented groups. In addition, an overwhelming number of our participants choose to pursue graduate or professional schools (~78% of students who have completed their bachelor’s degrees) after participation in our program.
In 2022, we hosted ten students on campus from Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUI) across the country. Three students performed research at their home institution and participated virtually in our program.