This program will fund an exploratory grant to establish a one-year research training period for undergraduate students that will take place at the Department of Chemistry at the University of Akron in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory.  The research portion of the training program will investigate the development of new compounds for binding and sequestering uranium, a key nuclear fuel. The isolation of uranium and other nuclear fuels is essential for non-carbon based energy independence.  These new fuel element sequestration strategies will be based on the chemistry of isoindoline-based molecules, which comprise a diverse set of compounds for metal binding. Isoindolines are inexpensive and non-toxic compounds that are frequently used to make dyes and pigments.  This chemistry has not been appreciably investigated with actinide elements such as uranium. Additionally, the electrochemical properties of the resultant compounds will be investigated since electrochemical separation is often used to isolate different actinide elements from mixtures. Promising sequestration candidates will be shared with Oak Ridge National Laboratory for further evaluation. The training component of the program seeks to increase workers in both nuclear chemistry and related fields, as well as prepare students for matriculation into chemistry graduate programs. The program will use a tiered mentoring system that will utilize interactions between the faculty mentors, graduate students, and the undergraduate cohort. The training curriculum will last a year, starting in January and lasting through December, and there will be two training periods during the exploratory program. In addition to regular research during the spring and fall semesters, there will be scheduled group meetings (covering conduct of science, scientific writing and presentations, and usage of the scientific literature), career and graduate school mentoring, and presentation of research data by students at university, regional, and national meetings. During the summer, the student cohort research will continue; participants will be supported with a stipend for a six-week research period and will participate in a trip to Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The goals for the program are that 75% of participants will either seek employment in nuclear chemistry or related careers or will continue their education in graduate programs.