Elmhurst University biochemistry major Hannah Cardenas ’27, of Des Plaines, Illinois, received a National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF REU) award to participate in a 10-week summer research internship at the University of Texas at Dallas.

These NSF-funded summer research internships are hosted by schools across the country in a variety of STEM disciplines. During her REU, Cardenas will work on collaborative research projects, with a focus on materials chemistry involving chemical synthesis, material characterization and semiconductor technologies. She also will take part in a professional development and ethics training program geared toward science communication and preparation for graduate school or industrial careers.

As part of her internship, Cardenas will receive a paid fellowship, housing and meals, a travel allowance, skills development associated with independent research, and career and graduate school planning.

The program places a strong emphasis on teaching the student participants how to present research. Cardenas will prepare a poster presentation that she will give at the Summer Platform for Undergraduate Research at the University of Texas at Dallas in July.

Cardenas applied and was accepted to three different REU programs, but she selected the chemistry REU in Dallas because the professor is a former colleague of her mentor, Evan Vanable, an assistant professor in the Elmhurst chemistry department.

“I feel extremely lucky to have been given this opportunity,” she says. “I look forward to learning a lot this summer.”