UPWARDD

The Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI) Research Experience and Mentoring (REM) program UPWARDD: Utilizing Plastic Waste in Applications for Removing Dissolved Debris is housed in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Alabama and is supported by awards from the National Science Foundation (2029387 and 2132133).

This program provides opportunities for hands-on environmental research within state-of-the-art laboratories at The University of Alabama, under the direction of faculty in Chemical and Biological Engineering, Chemistry, and Biological Sciences. Participants are sought for the following three opportunities:

High School Teachers (3 openings)

Must be a teacher (math or science preferred) from Central High School, Paul W. Bryant High School, or Northridge High School.
6 weeks of hands-on research experience and curriculum development.
$8,000 stipend
Tentative dates: June 10, 2024 to July 19, 2024

College Students (6 openings)

Must be a student at Stillman College or Shelton State Community College
6 weeks of hands-on research experience
$6,000 stipend
Tentative dates: June 10, 2024 to July 19, 2024

High School Students (7 openings)

Must be a student at Central High School, Paul W. Bryant High School, or Northridge High School.
2 weeks of hands-on research experience
$1,000 stipend
Tentative dates: July 8, 2024 to July 19, 2024

Important Dates

Application Opens: February 26, 2024
Application Deadline: April 12, 2024
Notification Date: May 3, 2024
Tentative Program Dates:
- June 10, 2024 to July 19, 2024 (college students and teachers)
- July 8, 2024 to July 19, 2024 (high school students)

Eligibility Criteria

U.S. citizen or permanent resident

Contact

For more information about this program,
contact the following program managers:

Dr. Katie E. O’Harra – Program Co-Director
Dr. Steven T. Weinman – Program Co-Director

Benefits

During the program, participants will:

Participate in hands-on, supervised research in the field of polymer science & engineering on upcycling plastics
Attend workshops to improve technical writing and oral presentations
Participate in a river clean-up of plastic waste
Tour a local recycling facility
Attend workshops to learn CAD/Solidworks to design and build a 3D-printed object
Develop lesson plans to use in classrooms (teachers)
Present research results at a summer-end symposium
Present research results at the REM grantee meeting (college students and high school teachers) in late January to mid-March 2025 (exact dates to be announced later)

Requirements

Each participant must:

Commit 40 hours per week to EFRI REM activities
Attend lab meetings
Attend professional development workshops and research seminars
Attend weekly lunches to discuss progress
Attend field trips
Prepare and deliver an oral presentation
Prepare and deliver a research poster/presentation

Activities

The scheduled activities are designed to engage students in engineering research and further increase interest and understanding of the wide-ranging field of polymers and plastics upcycling. The program will foster technical development and research skills, afford sufficient time to complete research assignments, and provide social and educational activities away from UA’s campus. Throughout each week, participants will spend most of their time in the research lab, under the supervision of their matched faculty mentor and their research team.

Friday Lunches: During the lunch period, the participants will meet as group with their research mentors to present their research in an informal setting.

Local Excursions: Local excursions will include a local river clean-up and a trip to the Tuscaloosa recycling facility.

Participant Symposium: Each participant will each give a presentation on their summer research the final Friday of the program at an all-day symposium. Feedback will be provided to participants on their presentation performance.

REM Grantee Meeting: All college students and high school teachers who have shown a substantial effort on their project will be encouraged to present a poster/presentation at the REM Grantee Meeting in Washington, DC in late January or mid-March 2025 (exact dates to be announced later). A travel stipend will be available to cover the travel costs.

Application

Please fill out the following form to apply for the program.

Your Contact Information

First Name *

Last Name *

Date of Birth *

Gender *

Status *

Only US Citizens or permanent residents are permitted in the program and, therefore, eligible to apply.

Email *

Current Phone Number

Preferably a cell phone

Current Address

Apt, suite, etc.

Country

City

State

Zip code

What type of participant are you?

What type of participant are you? *

Current School *

Current Class Standing *

GPA

Expected Graduate Date

Name of Parent/Guardian 1 *

Phone of Parent/Guardian 1 *

Email of Parent/Guardian 1 *

Name of Parent/Guardian 2 *

Phone of Parent/Guardian 2

Email of Parent/Guardian 2

Please select your top 3 choices for research project in order. *

First Choice

Please select your top 3 choices for research project in order. *

Second Choice

Please select your top 3 choices for research project in order. *

Third Choice

Current University *

Current Class Standing *

GPA

Major(s)

Minor(s)

Expected Graduate Date

Are you a first-generation college student? *

A first-generation college student is defined as a student whose parent(s)/legal guardian(s) have not completed a bachelor's degree. This means that you are the first person in your family to attend a four-year college/university to attain a bachelor's degree.

Yes

Current School *

What subject(s) do you teach? *

How long have you been a teacher?

Undergraduate Degree Field:

Undergraduate Degree Institution:

Undergraduate Degree Year:

Please select your top 3 choices for research project in order *

First Choice

Please select your top 3 choices for research project in order *

Second Choice

Please select your top 3 choices for research project in order *

Third Choice

One-Page Resume *

Please submit a one-page resume in a pdf format. Only pdfs will be accepted.

Captcha *

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Open Positions

High School Teachers (3 openings)

College Students (6 openings)

High School Students (7 openings)

Important Dates

Eligibility Criteria

Contact

Benefits

Requirements

Activities

Application

Your Contact Information

What type of participant are you?

- The University of Alabama | The College of Engineering -

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