EZ-RA: Enhancing Research Access for Career-Ready Success of Undergraduates
- Conference
- Location
-
Arlington, TX, Texas
- Publication Date
-
March 9, 2025
- Start Date
-
March 9, 2025
- End Date
-
March 11, 2025
- Page Count
-
7
- Permanent URL
-
https://peer.asee.org/55052
Paper Authors
chen pan The University of Texas at San Antonio
Dr. Pan is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and directs the Resilient, Intelligent, and Sustainable Embedded Computing and Networking (RISE) Lab. Dr. Pan brings extensive teaching experience in computer architecture, embedded systems, data communication and networking, AI hardware, and programming, with a focus on preparing students for real-world applications and career success in STEM. In addition to research, Dr. Pan has successfully secured funding for educational and research initiatives, including the USDA REEU program, NSF REU program, and mini-grants from UTSA and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Dr. Pan’s research interests cover Sustainable Air-Ground IoT Systems, Tiny Machine Learning, Intelligent Sparse Sensing, Transient Computing and Communication, and Emerging Non-volatile Memory, contributing to advancements in IoT. His work has been widely published in leading conferences and journals. Dr. Pan’s projects are supported by esteemed agencies, such as NSF, USDA, NOAA, and TGLO, underscoring his dedication to impactful research and student success in engineering education.
Thuy Khanh Nguyen The University of Texas at San Antonio
Mrs. Khanh Nguyen has been with UTSA's Electrical and Computer Engineering department as the Program Coordinator since 2018. She works directly with the students and faculty in the department with regards to academic and student matters.
Chunjiang Qian
The University of Texas at San Antonio
orcid.org/0000-0002-3897-8149
Dr. Chunjiang Qian received his Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, 2001. Since August 2001, he has been with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Texas at San Antonio, where he is currently the department chair and Mary Lou Clarke Endowed Professor. His current research interests include robust and adaptive control, nonlinear system theory, optimal control, network control, and mathematical foundation of deep learning. He has also applied research to UAV systems, power generation systems, electric vehicles, and marine vehicles.
Dr. Qian is a recipient of 2003 U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award and one of the inaugural recipients of the University of Texas System Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award in 2009. He received the 3rd Best Paper Award in the ISA (International Society of Automation) Power Industry Division Symposium (2011) and the Best Poster Paper Award in the 3rd IFAC International Conference on Intelligent Control and Automation Science (2013). He currently serves as an Associate Editor for Automatica and International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control. Dr. Qian is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
Abstract
We have developed the EZ-RA (ECE Initiative for Easy Research Access) program, supported by mini-grant and departmental funds, to fulfill the Signature Experience requirement for undergraduates in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). This initiative addresses barriers to research accessibility, allowing students, especially those considering graduate school, to engage in faculty-guided research as part of their experiential learning. Starting in Spring 2024, EZ-RA improved the process by centralizing faculty-prepared syllabi, enabling students to select topics and directly enroll in Independent Study courses without previous administrative hurdles. Currently, ten undergraduates are enrolled, each receiving $200 from the mini-grant and department resources to support their research activities. At the end of this semester, we will host a demonstration for all REU participants to showcase their projects. By fostering interdisciplinary learning, mentorship, and a growth mindset, EZ-RA equips students with essential research experience that supports smooth transitions from college to careers or graduate studies, aligning with UTSA’s "Career-Ready" initiative. Key metrics such as student participation, research quality, and post-graduate outcomes will guide the program’s continuous improvement as a sustainable model for experiential learning in engineering.
pan, C., & Nguyen, T. K., & Qian, C. (2025, March), EZ-RA: Enhancing Research Access for Career-Ready Success of Undergraduates Paper presented at 2025 ASEE -GSW Annual Conference, Arlington, TX, Texas. https://peer.asee.org/55052
ASEE holds the copyright on this document. It may be read by the public free of charge. Authors may archive their work on personal websites or in institutional repositories with the following citation: © 2025 American Society for Engineering Education. Other scholars may excerpt or quote from these materials with the same citation. When excerpting or quoting from Conference Proceedings, authors should, in addition to noting the ASEE copyright, list all the original authors and their institutions and name the host city of the conference. - Last updated April 1, 2015