Outreach educational plan

I am strongly committed to the education of young students, especially underrepresented groups of the population. UCF at Orlando is an education center with a strong influence on the high school student population in which a significant portion is speaking Spanish. UCF statistics reveal that 11.6% of the current student population is Hispanic, with one of the highest growth rates in the nation during the last years. Moreover, it is expected that the Hispanic minority will reach 25% of the US population in 2040. Spanish is the PI’s native language. Therefore, the PI will use this advantage in communication to attract Hispanic minorities to science, in general, and to the university, in particular.

FOR UNDERGRADUATES

Differential Equations in Classical and Quantum Physics is an interdisciplinary program betweeen the departments of Physics and Math at the University of Central Florida which has a strong focus on various theoretical, computational, and experimental aspects of differential equations. Classical, as well Quantum Mechanical applications applications in the domain of physics and engineering will be studied. There are a variety of specific, well-formulated projects available for well-trained and motivated undergraduate students at all levels, many of which are likely to lead to publications in research journals. The majority of the problems are theoretical but 1-2 opening for experiment are also available. Students early in their careers, women and minorities are stongly encouranged to apply. CLICK THE BANNER ABOVE TO ACCESS THE REU SITE, where we have prepared an introductory video of the project.

The students involved in the experimental part of this program will study the electrical transport through individual magnetic molecules placed in between the leads of nanoscale single-electron transistors. The student will be involved in both the experimental (fabrication and characterization of the molecular transistors) and theoretical (differential (rate) equations to describe electron transport through a single molecule) aspects of this project. For more information, look in the research link in the menu above or go directly to our single-electron transistor site (SETs).

The REU site currently involves four Physics faculty, four Mathematics faculty, and 12 participants (undergraduate students). The program has a duration of 10 weeks (from Sunday, May 25, 2008 to Sunday, August 3, 2008) and it is enriched by a wide array of cultural, social, and educational activities. In particular, visits to the NASA Kennedy Space Center at Cape Caneveral and the nationally known CREOL optics facilities at UCF are planned as part of the activities. Cultural visits will include the nationally known Salvador Dali Museum in St.Petersburg, the Charles Hosmer Museum of Louis Tiffany's Art Glass in Winter Park, and the nation's oldest city St. Augustine.

Housing for the REU participants will be provided free at the Lake Claire Apartments of the UCF Community.

FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

As part of the recently obtained National Science Fundation CAREER award, we plan to implement an active outreach program to reach high school students interested in any aspect of physical science, with the objective to motivate them to select their future careers in this scientific discipline. The project is specifically directed to Hispanic students and its two-fold oriented. On one hand, the student will be involved with the research carried out in our laboratory at the UCF physics department, with the possibility to spend the Summer semester with us. On the other hand, the student will be involved in the creation of a webpage intented to introduce different aspects of nanoscience and nanotechnology (with special emphasis in the results achieved at UCF), which will offered in both English and Spanish. The program will start in Summer 2008 and will run for 5 years. Interested students could contact myself by email (delbarco@physics.ucf.edu), by phone (407-823-0755) or in person (MAP building, room 421).

FOR KIDS

I am also very interested in having little kids interested in science. Below, there are some photographs of a scientific demonstration I did in Strenton Elementary School for kinder garden students last year. It was THE BEST!

Please, contact me directly by email to delbarco@physics.ucf.edu or visit our lab at MAP building.