The 2006 REU Summer Symposium marked the end of PSU's 8-week summer undergraduate research program where each participant gave a 15-minute power point presentation sharing their summer research findings with peers, graduate student mentors, and faculty advisors. REU Site at PSU: Applications of Microscopy and Microanalysis to Multidisciplinary Research (Award No. DMR ) PI: Jun Jiao, Physics Department, Portland State University (PSU), Portland, OR REU students were given the opportunity to learn how to use the state-of-the-art electron microscopes, including SEM and FIB, to characterize nanoscale materials before they join faculty research laboratories for their individual project. Highlight for summer 2006 REU activities: (1) The REU summer program began with a one week orientation. Students attended a series of seminars on lab safety, library database search, high-tech industry needs, and an intensive short course on Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Focused Ion Beam Microscopy (FIB) techniques in preparation for their research skills. (2) After training, each participant joined one of eight research groups in the Departments of Physics, Chemistry, Geology, Mechanical Engineering, and Electrical and Computer Engineering where they conducted seven weeks of full time research. (3) A scientist from Intel company gave a seminar on electron microscopy applications in high tech industry. (4) A field trip to a local high tech company (FEI Company) made it possible for students to observe different microscopes and learn their new applications. It also provided the opportunity for students to interact with the scientists and engineers in the company. (5) Four REU participants including one high school student were selected and sponsored by our REU program to present papers at the Pacific Northwest 16 th Annual Symposium of the American Vacuum Society, September 21-22, 2006 at McMenamins Grand Lodge, Forest Grove, Oregon. One of our REU participants won a special award for her poster presentation.

REU site directors shared their experiences regarding the operation of individual REU sites. Prof. Supapan Seraphin describes the rewards and challenges of hosting an International REU site in Thailand. Participants of the workshop visited PSU research laboratories where the university’s REU students gain their research experience during the summer and academic year REU Site Directors Workshop sponsored by the Ceramic Program of the DMR/NSF and organized by Jun Jiao, an REU site director, at Portland State University (PSU). Twenty REU site directors from universities across the country gathered at PSU on October 19-21, 2006 to exchange their experiences and ideas with respect to operation and future development of REU sites. Participants represented REU sites funded by the DMR/NSF. In addition, directors were chosen for their institution’s commitment to underrepresented minorities in science. The REU site directors included program veterans as well as those instituting new REU programs. This allowed the less experienced to learn from the more experienced, while the more seasoned gained novel insights from their new counterparts. The first day of the workshop was devoted to presentations and panel-facilitated group discussions. Nine workshop participants presented on three topics: Research Activity Design, Recruitment & Retention, and Assessment. During the second day, participants separated into three working groups. Each group put together a list of recommendations regarding the three main topics and shared their findings with the entire workshop group. In addition to their suggestions on the three established topics, all the participants agreed that REU site directors should meet at least once every three years to exchange ideas and discuss best practices. Another strong recommendation is to establish an NSF sponsored REU site network (or NSF REU website) to provide links for all the NSF supported REU sites. The website would also function as an Information Center where directors could post questions and suggestions, new site directors could gather tools and resources, and if security provisions are in place, directors could share the names of REU applicants they could not accommodate at their sites.