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reu_2018/02_project_description.md

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Overview Nature of Student Activities Research Environment Student Recruitment and Selection Project Evaluation and Reporting Broader Impacts Results from Prior NSF Support References
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Overview

National and global challenges require extreme engineering solutions. The main energy challenges in the last decade deal with interdisciplinary and complex extreme environments [BES at 40]. The NSF engineering division has $332 million in active extreme research projects [NSF funding]. In 2017, extreme research projects funded by DOD, DOE, and NIH spent over $3.1, $1.9, and $1.3 billion, respectively at Federally funded research and Development centers and higher education institutions [usaspending.gov]. Extreme environments are commonly found in energy production, propulsion and other national defense applications, and materials used in medical devices that can require long lifetimes and biocompatibility. Engineering in extreme environments requires expertise in one of these three main areas with interdisciplinary communication skills in the others. There is a national and global need for engineers that work with extreme environment challenges.

The Engineering in Extreme Environments Research Experience for Undergraduates (EX-REU) site will bring together diverse student groups from community colleges, Native American tribes, and minority-serving programs to solve engineering problems in extreme environments. The objectives of this program are to:

  1. Prepare the next generation of engineers to solve extreme engineering challenges with diverse and interdisciplinary research

  2. Increase enrollment of female and traditionally underrepresented students to graduate school in extreme engineering

  3. Improve students' communication skills by connecting different fields and cultures

The EX-REU site will bring together UConn faculty, graduate students, and Pratt and Whitney scientists to solve grand challenges in energy, defense, and health applications.

Nature of Student Activities

We will meet the EX-REU site objectives by providing extreme environment research, mentoring, and networking.

Week Group Activity
Week 1 Orientation and Types of Extreme Engineering Environments Introductions of students, their research projects and how they relate to extreme engineering environments.
Week 1 inter-REU BBQ
Week 2 Observing Engineering in Extreme Environments: Site visit to Pratt and Whitney
Week 3 Ethics training
Week 4 Career/Education mentorship: Superhero roleplaying career trajectories and origin stories
Week 4 Superhero movie viewing
Week 5 Guest lectures from graduate students/faculty working in extreme environments
Week 6 Graduate Student Panel: GRE, application process, picking an advisor, Q&A
Week 7 Diversity and Cultural Awareness Activities
Week 8 Communicating your research - oral and written presentation skills activities
Week 8 Poster presentation review
Week 9 Abstract writing and editing - preparing for conference (poster/oral) presentations
Week 10 Dairy bar ice cream social
Week 10 Inter-REU poster presentation

The 10-week program will give students ample time in the lab doing research and mix social and networking activities with career development, diversity training, and scientific presentation skills. The first week will introduce students to each other and projects and provide networking with the inter-REU site BBQ with all ## REU sites participating. In the second week, we will visit Pratt and Whitney to showcase extreme engineering challenges in energy and defense applications. In week 4, we will watch a superhero movie and craft scientist origin stories. This approach follows the cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) method [0]. Students will answer questions of what they want to do and how they will do it, focusing on education and career adding fun from current blockbusters.

Research Environment

  • We have strong ties with UTC and Pratt and Whitney and a history of excellence in extreme engineering challenges.

  • Team Personnel:

The co-PI, Jennifer Pascal, is the Assistant Department Head and Undergraduate Program Coordinator of the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department. She works closely with the undergraduate curriculum and advising. She has experience working with Native American students during her postdoctoral fellowship, and has demonstrated her commitment to diversity in engineering, through a wide array of professional development activities, including most recently, participation a year long network improvement community: Teaching Through Diversity at UConn.

Student Recruitment and Selection

  • Selection:

  • I think we can use similar descriptions from Dan and Jason's proposals

  • Recruitment:

    • Poster mailings to targeted universities (ME and CBE programs?)

    • Visits to regional universities that are not R1

    • Visit to SIPI and recruitment via tribal educator connection locally

    • Details of specific recruitment strategies for the tribal colleges and local universities

Project Evaluation and Reporting

  • UCLA CenterX

Broader Impacts

  • advance US energy, defense, and health technology

  • push boundaries of extreme challenges in mutlidisciplinary research

  • increase enrollment of under-represented minorities in graduate programs including native americans

Results from Prior NSF Support

The proposed REU site is new, and to the best of our knowledge no current or former REU Site at UConn follows the research and recruitment model proposed here. Participating faculty have served as advisors for REU students on the former REU Site discussed below. After detailed debriefing with that site’s leadership, the PIs have designed the currently proposed REU Site’s innovative minority recruitment plan in part to address the minority recruiting shortcomings encountered by the former site.

  • Nano REU was positive experience for REU participants and faculty

  • Recommendations from report:

    • interface more closely with other REUs

    • provide social activities

    • add industry collaboration

    • provide more scientific writing and advice on presenting work at conferences

  • Our approach is:

    • collaborate with existing REUs, RETs, and programs

    • provide social and networking activities (including movie screening, diversity awareness, and BBQ)

    • partner with Pratt and Whitney Centers of Excellence programs with direct PW scientist supervision and tours

    • help students plan for conference presentations with abstract writing and editing

References

[1] E. Smith, “Teaching critical reflection,” Teach. High. Educ., vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 211–223, Apr. 2011.

[2] “Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community cultural wealth: Race Ethnicity and Education: Vol 8, No 1.” [Online]. Available: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1361332052000341006. [Accessed: 29-Jul-2018].

[3] P. McIntosh, “White privilege: Unpacking the invisible knapsack. 1988,” Peggy McIntosh Est Une Féministe Militante Antiraciste Américaine Elle Est Aussi Cherch. Assoc. Au Wellesley Cent. Women Wellesley Mass, 2010.

[4] J. M. Smith and J. C. Lucena, “Invisible innovators: how low-income, first-generation students use their funds of knowledge to belong in engineering,” Eng. Stud., vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 1–26, Jan. 2016.