• Peter C. Burns

The EFRC invites undergraduates students to apply for a summer REU position. Positions will be located at the University of Notre Dame and will run for 10 weeks, May 29 - August 3, 2010.

Participants will work with faculty and graduate students on cutting-edge research. The REU is limited to three (2) students and is an experimental research opportunity.

Applications will open in Januray of 2011.

Application Deadline: March 9, 2012

The REU program is sponsored by the EFRC, based in the Department of Civil Engineering and Geological Sciences at the University of Notre Dame. The Center brings together scientists with expertise in a wide range of environmental sciences. The scientific mission of the Center is to understand and control, at the nanoscale, materials that contain actinides (radioactive heavy elements such as uranium and plutonium) to lay the scientific foundation for advanced nuclear energy systems.

Fellowship

$4500 for a ten week period to be paid bi-weekly. Housing is provided through the Univeristy of Notre Dame dorm system.

Eligibility

All students may apply for REU funding. Students with strong credentials and majoring in chemistry, geology, environmental sciences, or environmentally-related disciplines are encouraged to apply.

Environmental Mineralogy and Actinide Crystallography

The mineralogy and crystal chemistry of uranium is understood reasonably well, whereas that of neptunium is almost completely unknown. The projects will focus on exploring the crystal chemistry of neptunium, and its relationships with uranium. Applications of the research will be a better understanding of the impact on actinide transport of co-precipitation of neptunium in uranium phases. This research will also be a foundation for development of an understanding of the solution chemistry of neptunium under environmental conditions. Peter C. Burns.