Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites and Supplements Program

(07-569)

Division of Engineering Education and Centers (EEC)

ENG Education Awardee’s ConferenceSeptember 26-28, 2007

Esther Bolding, Program Managerebolding@nsf.gov703-292-5342

Engineering Directorate REU Coordinators

• Esther Bolding, ENG/EEC ebolding@nsf.gov (703) 292-5342• Cynthia Ekstein, ENG/CBET cekstein@nsf.gov (703) 292-7941• Richard Fragaszy, ENG/CMMI rfragasz@nsf.gov (703) 292-7011

Engineering Directorate REU Coordinators

• Ron Hui, ENG,ECCS rhui@nsf.gov (703) 292-7173• Marshall Lih, ENG,CBET mlih@nsf.gov (703) 292-4608

Department of Defense (DoD) Representatives

• Dr. Kathleen Kaplan, AFRL/AFSOR• Captain Dan Adcock, AFRL/AFOSR• Lt. Colonel John Kaplan, AFRL/AFOSR• Dr. George Ramseyer, Civ AFRL/IFTC• $4.5 Million from DoD for REU FY08

REU PROGRAM

Research experience is considered to be one of the most effective avenues of attracting talented undergraduates to and retaining them in careers in science and engineering, including careers in teaching and education.

REU PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

• Supports active research participation by undergraduate students in any of the areas of research funded by NSF.

• Involves students in meaningful ways in ongoing research programs or in research projects specifically designed for the purpose.

• REU projects feature high-quality interaction of students with faculty and/or other research mentors and access to appropriate facilities and professional development opportunities.

SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES

• Partnership with the Department of Defense (DoD)-Awards to Stimulate and Support Undergraduate Research Experiences (ASSURE)- (Corby Horvis-Program Director).(http://www.afosr.af.mil/ASSURE.htm)

• Projects with an International Dimension(http://www.nsftokyo.org/REU/)

• Optional Component addressing Ethics in Science or Engineering (http://www.onlineethics.org/)

• Optional Component addressing Research Experiences for Teachers (RET)

REU PROGRAM GOALS

• Expand student participation in all kinds of research-disciplinary, interdisciplinary, or educational in focus-by single investigators, groups, centers, national facilities, etc.

• Help develop a diverse, internationally competitive, and globally-engaged scientific and engineering workforce

• Promote integration of research and education

• Encourage faculty to seek talented students traditionally not included in research activities i.e. underrepresented groups (minorities, women, and persons with disabilities)

REU SITES Statistics

Props. Awds. %Success Total REU SITES

ENG$ millions

Non ENG $millions

Total REU$millions

FY 05 129 16 12% 79 7.701.70

9.40

FY 06 155 41 26% 96 8.451.30

9.75

FY 07 105 41 26% 126 9.82 .97

10.79

Note: Non EEC Funds

Department of Defense – DoD

Office of International Science and Engineering – OISE

Office of Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research - EPSCoR

ENGINEERING REU SITES

• Each site consists of a group of ten or more undergraduates per year

• Faculty and graduate mentors on each project

• Sites run 8 to 10 summer weeks• Currently over 126 active REU sites

(http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/reu_search.cfm)

• Support over 1,500 students per year

REU Contributes to NSF’s Strategic Goals

• The REU program is a major contributor to the NSF goal of developing a diverse, internationally competitive, and globally-engaged science and engineering workforce.

• It draws on the integration of research and education to attract a diversified pool of talented students into careers in science and engineering, including teaching and education research related to science and engineering.

Important REU Upcoming Events

• Deadline for REU Site proposals: August 18, 2008

• Deadline for REU Site proposals to the Antarctic Program: June 6, 2008

• Deadline for REU Supplement requests: Varies with the research program

• Engineering Directorate REU Site/Supplement Evaluation Project to be conducted by SRI International 12/2006 through 8/2009 !!!

SRI Evaluation of the Directorate for Engineering REU Program 2006-2009

The study will be conducted through two surveys: an initial survey of faculty and undergraduate participants in ENG REUs in 2006 and 2 years later, a follow-up survey of the undergraduate participants.

SRI Evaluation of the Directorate for Engineering REU Program

NSF/ENG is relying on Grantees to provide the data requested in the REU Survey sent out by SRI International.

Mary Hancock – SRI Representative

REU SITE REPORTING

Annual Project Reports Final Project Reports REU Program Nuggets/Highlights

Testimonials from REU Participants

Two former REU students share their enthusiasm and benefits gained from participation in the REU Program.

Jennifer Smalls 2004 REU Participant

School: University of IllinoisHobbies: Running, swimming, playing trumpet and others Future Plans: M.D. in Family Practice, or Graduate School towards a PH.D in Organic ChemistryHometown: Peoria, IL

REU: Nanomaterials on PropellantProject: Performance Assessment of Solid Rocket Propellants Containing

Testimonial from REU Participant

Jenny Small, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign participated in the NSF REU site on Nanotechnology held last summer 2004. Although she was a chemistry major, she was brave enough to work with Prof. Eric Petersen in the area of combustion and aerospace research. Her positive outlook led to the development and the usage of novel nanoparticles in burn rate enhancement for solid propellants. Both Professors Petersen and Seal were planning to collaborate in a field of mutual interest merging combustion engineering with nanotechnology. The REU program was a perfect venue, and Jenny’s research with Prof. Petersen generated preliminary data for a proposal to MDA under a BAA announcement.  Recently, Professors Petersen (PI) and Seal (Co-PI) were awarded a grant of 600K from MDA to look into nanoadditives for solid propellants, which will cover a wide range of applications in aerospace industry. The REU-sponsored work will be presented in a conference this summer, and a patent disclosure will be filed shortly. Jennifer L. Small*, Matthew A. Stephens*, Sameer Deshpande**, Eric L. Petersen, and Sudipta Seal, Burn Rate Sensitization of Solid Propellants Using a Nano-Titania Additive, 20th International Colloqium on the Dynamics of Explosions and Reactive Systems - Paper ID no 150 http://www.icders.mcgill.ca/venue.html, McGill, Montreal, Canada, 31 Jul - 4th Aug, 2005.

ERC REU: Center for Advanced Engineering Fibers and Films (CAEFF)

Clemson University PI: John M. Kennedy

REU Alum : Lindsey Clark

Testimonial from REU Participant

My name is Lindsey Clark and I am an alum of the 1999 CAEFF REU program at Clemson. You might not remember me, especially since 1999 seems like so long ago! I regularly keep in touch with my REU roommate, Kelly Goliszek, and upon chatting with her recently, I was compelled to write.

I earned a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Vanderbilt Univ in Aug 2005 and have since moved on to a process engineering position with Evergreen Packaging, formally International Paper, in Pine Bluff, AR. I would like you to know that my experience in the REU program made a significant difference in my decision to pursue graduate education, and I certainly treasure the time I spent at Clemson, both personally and professionally. I feel that you had a fantastic program for undergraduates to gain research experience, and I trust that it has flourished in the past 7 years. I consider my time there an invaluable experience in my overall education and would encourage any undergraduate to apply for this program. Please feel free to share my sentiments with others at CAEFF.

I hope that you and the administration at CAEFF are doing well, and I send my best regards for continued success in your endeavors.

Sincerely, Lindsey Clark

Thank You