1. Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Renewable Energy Charles A. Stone, IV, Colorado School of Mines, DMR 1063150 Intellectual Merit: An interdisciplinary team of approximately 30 CSM faculty, as well as staff from the Colorado Energy Research Initiative and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, mentored students in projects addressing the performance of next-generation photovoltaic devices; microstructural design of composite membranes; hydrogen storage in clathrate hydrates; social and ethical implications of climate change, renewable energy, sustainability & education; hybrid energy systems for oil shale production; and optimizing computational tools for energy science. 2012 Renewable Energy REU students at Colorado School of Mines Students attended weekly technical seminars that spanned photovoltaics, energy storage materials, the role of catalysts in fuel cells, computational energy science, and challenges & opportunities with biofuels. Professional development sessions covered Ethics and the Responsible Conduct of Research; Learning, Teaching, & Working Across Generations; Being a Role Model, Finding a Mentor; Careers in Renewable Energy; and Graduate Schools & Fellowship Opportunities. Student “Snapshots” Sessions allowed students to informally share their research results in an open learning environment. Additional Support: National Science Foundation award DMR-0820518, Renewable Energy Materials Research Science and Engineering Center.

2. These 21 students participated in research discussions, laboratory tours, social activities, and an end-of-summer joint poster session with other nearby REU students in the Advanced Metallurgical Design for Transportation, Infrastructure, and Energy REU at CSM; the Advancing Polymer Materials by Integrating Chemistry and Chemical Engineering REU at CSM; the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN) REU at the University of Colorado, Boulder; and the Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) program at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Rachel Kurchin from Yale University earned the Best Technical Achievement award for her research on “Raman Spectroscopy of Silicon Quantum Dots”. Charlotte Evans from University of Wisconsin, River Falls earned the Best Presentation award for best communicating the nature, impact, and results of her research on “Catalyst- Free ‘Click Chemistry’ of Zinc Oxide Surfaces”. Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Renewable Energy Charles A. Stone, IV, Colorado School of Mines, DMR 1063150 2012 award recipients Rachel Kurchin and Charlotte Evans Broader Impacts: The 2012 Renewable Energy REU at the Colorado School of Mines (CSM) hosted 21 students from 13 different institutions (11 national, 2 international) in a 10-week summer program that strived for gender balance (6 females, 15 males) and diversity (6 underrepresented minorities, 2 non-traditional students), as well as a balance between participants from research institutions and from institutions where research opportunities for students are limited.