Remote Research for Undergraduate Students: Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE)

Nazli Aslican Wodzinski; Stephen Druschel; Matthew Simones

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Conference: 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Start Date: June 26, 2022
End Date: June 29, 2022
Conference Session: Cooperative and Experiential Education Division Technical Session 1
Page Count: 15
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--40687
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/40687
Download Count: 278

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Paper Authors

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Nazli Aslican Wodzinski Minnesota State University, Mankato

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Nazli A. Yilmaz Wodzinski received her bachelors and master’s degrees in Civil Engineering from Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey in 2008 and 2010, respectively. She pursued her education in Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina and obtained her doctorate degree in Civil Engineering with an emphasis on Hydraulics in 2014. She started working as a full-time faculty at Minnesota State University, Mankato Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering in 2015-16 AY. Nazli offers several fundamental engineering courses along with technical elective courses in water resources field. The 2XX level courses Nazli teaches are gateway courses and offered to students from civil, mechanical, electrical and computer engineering programs. Nazli is passionate about undergraduate engineering education and concluded several trainings to improve her teaching abilities. She attended several certificate programs offered by Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning of MNSU. Nazli also received ASCE ExCEEd (American Society of Civil Engineers Excellence in Civil Engineering Education) and KEEN Innovation Curriculum with Entrepreneurial Mindset (ICE) certificates. She is a member of American Society of Civil Engineers, American Society of Engineering Education, and Society of Women Engineers. Nazli has several active research projects on engineering education, wind energy, agricultural drainage and runoff treatment, stormwater pond assessment. For her research projects, she works with groups of undergraduate researchers. She has also been advising several student groups for their self-lead research projects. Many of these groups presented at National Conference in Undergraduate Research (NCUR). Nazli is also the proud faculty adviser of Society of Women Engineers MSU, Mankato Student Chapter and Engineers without Borders MSU, Mankato Student Chapter.

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Stephen Druschel Minnesota State University, Mankato

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Matthew Simones Minnesota State University, Mankato

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Abstract

This evidence-based paper will review the outcomes of a recently developed summer research program for undergraduate students. A research center at X University created a remote research program for Summer 2020. Along with others across the United States, X University went under COVID-19 lockdown for the unforeseen future during the Spring 2020 semester. The university cancelled access to most campus laboratories and brought a halt to all experimental research conducted in these facilities. Moreover, a significant number of undergraduate students lost their internships for Summer 2020. With these two substantial changes, the research center created the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) program. The center contacted a donor who donated a funding for a single undergraduate research project (pre-COVID) and asked to make changes in the funding process to benefit multiple students. With the adaptation approved by the donor, the research center asked the faculty to submit proposals for undergraduate research projects that the researchers can conduct at their homes. The proposals requested projects to employ 1 – 4 undergraduate students with a limited, supplies-only budget (

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Wodzinski, N. A., & Druschel, S., & Simones, M. (2022, August), Remote Research for Undergraduate Students: Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--40687

TY - CPAPER
AB - This evidence-based paper will review the outcomes of a recently developed summer research program for undergraduate students. A research center at X University created a remote research program for Summer 2020. Along with others across the United States, X University went under COVID-19 lockdown for the unforeseen future during the Spring 2020 semester. The university cancelled access to most campus laboratories and brought a halt to all experimental research conducted in these facilities. Moreover, a significant number of undergraduate students lost their internships for Summer 2020. With these two substantial changes, the research center created the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) program. The center contacted a donor who donated a funding for a single undergraduate research project (pre-COVID) and asked to make changes in the funding process to benefit multiple students. With the adaptation approved by the donor, the research center asked the faculty to submit proposals for undergraduate research projects that the researchers can conduct at their homes.
The proposals requested projects to employ 1 – 4 undergraduate students with a limited, supplies-only budget (<$500). The supplies of the approved proposals were mailed to the students mid-May. The students worked on their projects throughout the summer at their homes with online guidance from their project advisor. In Summer 2020, five research projects that were related to transportation, utility, and energy infrastructure were funded. Each project had a unique theoretical background. An important selection criterion was the potential for the project to be expanded upon into a full undergraduate research project in the 2020-21 Academic Year and that may lead students presenting at the virtual National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) 2021. The initial findings of the project were presented to the research center via a Zoom conference call at the end of Summer 2020. Moreover, the groups that concluded their projects on time also presented in national platforms, including NCUR.
The impact of the SURE program on undergraduate researchers were assessed via follow-up survey and meetings. This paper focusses on the impact of the SURE program on the students’ technical ability, communication skills, educational experience, and future professional experiences. Additionally, the advisors provided positive feedback on their experience with the projects and undergraduate researchers. The initial success of the first SURE program caught the attention of a research center that provides a university-wide undergraduate research support to the X University. This center adopted SURE as a permanent program and funds summer research projects, especially from disciplines that typically receive limited financial support.

AU - Nazli Aslican Wodzinski
AU - Stephen Druschel
AU - Matthew Simones
CY - Minneapolis, MN
DA - 2022/08/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Remote Research for Undergraduate Students: Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE)
UR - https://peer.asee.org/40687
DO - 10.18260/1-2--40687
ER -