02_project_description.md

# 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.