Frequently Asked Questions
What is computational materials science?
Computational materials science (CMS) is a broad area that applies a range of computational methods to model materials. The goal is to provide insight into materials properties and assist in the design of novel materials to meet today's grand challenges in diverse areas such as energy, medicine, and microelectronics.
CMS has become increasingly important in modern research, and many major companies, such as ExxonMobil, IBM, Ford, Motorola, and GE, have long-standing simulation groups in their research division. Computational simulations are also routinely used in disparate areas such as NASA, defense research, drug design, and geological research.
In CMS research you work in a virtual instead of a physical laboratory. All the "computational" experiments are run on powerful computing clusters - this is all done remotely on a desktop or laptop. This approach allows us to harness the power of modern computing to perform complex simulations that are directly applicable to real-world materials research.
What background do I need to participate in this REU?
You do not have to know any computational simulation methods or have past experience in the area! All that is required is an interest in fundamental science and some basic STEM courses (calculus and a physics and/or general chemistry). You will be taught the particular methods that you will use in your summer research. All the faculty mentors have extensive experience with undergraduates in their research groups.
Will this REU be useful if I am interested in doing experimental research in the future?
Yes! While you likely will not perform any experiments in a physical laboratory, you will actually be performing "computational" experiments. All the projects in the REU involve collaboration with experimentalists. One of the challenges and rewards of CMS research is to relate the computational simulations to real-world experiments. The experience in this REU will develop important analytical skills that are critical to succeed in both computational and experimental research.
Can I choose my location and/or project?
We will try to match your preferences for location and project (see research page), and you will be provided these details upon your acceptance into the REU.
What are some of the advantages to this REU?
Because our work is done in a virtual laboratory, there will be an opportunity for any REU student who is interested to continue research in the faculty mentor's group during the school year. Our goal is to provide students with an opportunity to perform sufficient research to present in conferences and publish a paper.
If you have a question that is not addressed above, please feel free to contact Prof. Aravind Asthagiri.