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:

Open Positions

High School Teachers (3 openings)

  • Must be a teacher (math or science preferred) from Central High School or Paul W. Bryant High School.
  • 6 weeks of hands-on research experience and curriculum development.
  • $8,000 stipend
  • Tentative dates: June 5, 2023 to July 14, 2023

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 5, 2023 to July 14, 2023

High School Students (7 openings)

  • Must be a student at Central High School or Paul W. Bryant High School.
  • 2 weeks of hands-on research experience
  • $1,000 stipend
  • Tentative dates: July 3, 2023 to July 14, 2023
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Important Dates

  • Application Opens: March 20, 2023
  • Application Deadline: April 15, 2023
  • Notification Date: May 2, 2023
  • Tentative Program Dates:
    • June 5, 2023 to July 14, 2023 (college students and teachers)
    • July 3, 2023 to July 14, 2023 (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 (students)
  • 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 or early February 2024

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. Additionally, the students will present their 3D printed object. These objects will be judged by the faculty and graduate student mentors and a winner will be announced and given a small prize. 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 early February 2024. A travel stipend will be available to assist with travel costs.

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Application

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

Your Contact Information

Select all that apply
Only US Citizens or permanent residents are permitted in the program and, therefore, eligible to apply.
Preferably a cell phone

What type of participant are you?

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