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2005-2267 Successful Research Experience for Undergraduates Program (REU) – The ERC for Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems ELIJAH KANNATEY-ASIBU, JR. Yoram Koren Lenea Howe

Engineering Research Center for Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109

Abstract The National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems (ERC/RMS) was awarded an NSF grant for a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program in 1997. The goal of the ERC in seeking funding for the project was to increase the number of underrepresented minority students in graduate school and to serve as a model for diversity within the University of Michigan community and the nation as a whole.

The ERC has been very successful in involving young and promising cadres of underrepresented minority undergraduate students in this summer research experience, introducing them to the rigors of graduate school, and later, watching their graduate school applications arrive. The key elements to the success of the REU program in the ERC/RMS are: a team research project in reconfigurable manufacturing, a series of workshops, and a graduate school/GRE preparation program.

Introduction The National Science Foundation (NSF) funds a large number of research opportunities for undergraduate students through its REU Sites program. An REU Site consists of a group of about ten undergraduates who work in the research programs of the host institution. Each student is associated with a specific research project, where he/she works closely with the faculty and other researchers. Students are granted stipends and, in many cases, assistance with housing and travel. Undergraduate students supported with NSF funds must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States or its possessions. An REU Site may be at either a US or foreign location. The program seeks to attract a diversified pool of talented students into careers in science and engineering and to help ensure that they receive the best education possible.

For the sake of clarity, the following definitions are being inserted: REU – Research Experience for Undergraduates, NSF supported CIC – Committee for Institutional Cooperation – an academic consortium of the Big 10 Universities and the University of Chicago. All CIC colleges offer an SROP program.

“Proceedings of the 2005 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright @ 2005, American Society for Engineering Education”

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Howe, L., & Kannatey-Asibu, J. E. (2005, June), Successful Research Experience For Undergraduates Program (Reu) The Erc For Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems Paper presented at 2005 Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon. 10.18260/1-2--14927