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RESEARCH EXPERIENCE FOR UNDERGRADUATES IN MICRO MECHATRONICS AND SMART STRUCTURES

Abstract

This paper describes an ongoing Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site program funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) since 2002 at the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR). The goal of the program was to bring students from around the United States and Puerto Rico to campus for an eight-week summer program and provide them with a multidisciplinary research experience in the areas of micro mechatronics and smart structures. The program objectives, recruitment strategies, organization and evaluation are summarized. To date, 54 students including 11 minority and 10 female students from 27 different institutions from around the United States and Puerto Rico have participated in the program.

Introduction

With funding from the National Science Foundation, an REU site program in the areas of micro mechatronics and smart structures has been conducted for the last four years at UMR. The goal of this study was to provide a multidisciplinary research experience for the benefit of undergraduate students in Aerospace, Computer, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, and Engineering Mechanics. The objectives were to: i) introduce micro mechatronics concepts to junior and senior undergraduate students; ii) provide a collaborative project-based research with hands-on experience in a multidisciplinary atmosphere; iii) attract talented undergraduate students from traditionally underrepresented groups to conduct research in emerging fields and motivate them to attend a graduate school of their choice; and iv) provide a unique opportunity for undergraduate students from schools outside the host institution to carryout research projects specially designed for the REU participants in state-of-the-art laboratories and motivate them to explore opportunities available through graduate studies.

The approach taken to accomplish the project objectives was to: i) develop an eight-week summer program that emphasized computer-aided design and hands-on laboratory experience; ii) develop team research projects combining electrical, mechanical and microsystem aspects of mechatronics, smart structures and intelligent systems; iii) provide student-faculty interactions and involve graduate students as mentors in the development of research experiences for undergraduates; iv) conduct tutorials on using necessary hardware and software; v) arrange weekly seminars on topics such as technical communication, codes and standards, ethics and graduate school opportunities; vi) provide opportunities for teamwork, project management, leadership and communication skills for successful completion of project work; and vii) arrange field trips for demonstrations of practical relevance of research.

Recruitment

The REU site program was publicized by: i) mailing flyers, typically in December, to Aerospace, Computer, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering department chairmen/heads, and to faculty contacts developed by the authors; and ii) maintaining a website1 and having a link to it from

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Krishnamurthy, K., & Stanek, K., & Rao, V. (2006, June), Research Experience For Undergraduates In Micro Mechatronics And Smart Structures Paper presented at 2006 Annual Conference & Exposition, Chicago, Illinois. 10.18260/1-2--1143