ASSIST Welcomes Summer REU Students

On May 29, 2019, ASSIST welcomed 11 undergraduate students as part of this year’s Summer REU (research experiences for undergraduates) program.

During the 10-week summer REU program, students are mentored by ASSIST faculty and meet weekly with the Education Director, Dr. Elena Veety, to ensure they are progressing towards their professional goals and are experiencing a positive mentoring relationship with their advisors.

Meet our Students

One of this year’s Summer REU students is Jaylan Fraser-Mines interested in textile chemistry. Jaylan will be a Junior in the fall semester majoring in chemistry at Williams College in Massachusetts. During the REU program, she is working in Dr. Jess Jur‘s lab focusing her research on how to measure the sustainability of smart devices (both for clothing and electronics), so they are not harmful to the environment once disposed of.

“Smart textiles are not at the mass market yet, so small decisions can make a big impact especially in regards to sustainability.”

Jaylan Fraser-Mines

How did she find out about the ASSIST REU Program?

Since Jaylan’s school does not offer a textile program, she searched online and found NC State’s Wilson College of Textiles. After contacting Dr. Gorga (Director of Undergraduate Programs and Associate Head for Wilson College of Textiles) who told her about the ASSIST REU program and encouraged her to apply, she did just that.

What’s next for Jaylan?

During the 10-week program, she hopes to become more confident in conducting her research, getting to know more about textiles, and working in a team by learning how other students and their projects can affect her work (i.e. the integration of electronics to smart textiles). At the end of the program, participants will be presenting their work at the ASSIST Summer REU Research Symposium on July 26 as well as on August 1 at the NC State REU Research Symposium.