Freeborn, T., & Gosa, M. M. (2021, July), Work-in-Progress: Social and Cultural Activities Integrated into an REU Site in the U.S. South  Paper presented at 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual Conference. 10.18260/1-2--38218

\bibitem{asee_peer_38218}
  Freeborn, T., \& Gosa, M. M. (2021, July), \emph{Work-in-Progress: Social and Cultural Activities Integrated into an REU Site in the U.S. South}
  Paper presented at 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual Conference.
  10.18260/1-2--38218

Todd Freeborn and Memorie M. Gosa.  "Work-in-Progress: Social and Cultural Activities Integrated into an REU Site in the U.S. South".  2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual Conference, 2021, July.  ASEE Conferences, 2021.  https://peer.asee.org/38218 Internet.  15 Dec, 2024

\bibitem{asee_peer_38218}
  Todd Freeborn and Memorie M. Gosa.
  "Work-in-Progress: Social and Cultural Activities Integrated into an REU Site in the U.S. South".
  \emph{2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual Conference, 2021, July}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2021.
  https://peer.asee.org/38218 Internet.  15 Dec, 2024

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_38218
author = "Todd Freeborn and Memorie M. Gosa"
title = "Work-in-Progress: Social and Cultural Activities Integrated into an REU Site in the U.S. South"
booktitle = "2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access"
year = "2021"
month = "July"
address = "Virtual Conference"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/38218}
number = {10.18260/1-2--38218}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Participating in a research experience for undergraduates (REU) site provides opportunities for students to develop their research and technical skills, network with other REU students/professors, raise their awareness of graduate studies, and understand the social context of research.   In support of this mission, our REU site at the University of Alabama is exploring research at the intersection of engineering and communicative disorders.  Beyond research training though, an REU site provides the opportunity for professional development, social activities, and cultural activities to enrich the student experience.  These are important features of an REU, which typically range from 9-10 weeks.  Students that participate in summer REUs are recruited from around the country and are brought together at a central research site.  Each student brings with them their unique perspectives and lived experiences.  To form a cohesive cohort from the individual students, it is important to facilitate shared experiences early in their 9-10 week REU.  Supporting the development of a student community through shared experiences has a significant impact on student perspectives of the program.  Shared experiences also provide the opportunity to increase the students’ understanding of the new city/state/region that is the setting for the REU.  The 2019 iteration of our REU Site, which has a theme of developing technology to support clinical practice in the field of communicative sciences and disorders, aimed to increase the level of social and cultural activities of the cohort in comparison to previous REU sites on campus.  This was achieved with multiple professional development, cultural, and social activities.  For professional development, students participated in a Practicing Inclusive Engagement workshop to build skills for intercultural engagement that in turn foster a more inclusive REU cohort.  Students participated in this workshop within the first three days of arriving on campus.  This workshop focused on identity, inclusive language, and creative ways to invite and engage in diverse perspectives.  For cultural activities, full-day field trips were taken to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL and The Legacy Museum / The National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, AL. These trips engaged students in very different aspects of Alabama's history.  One showcasing achievements of the U.S. space and rocket program and the other investigating the racial injustice in American history and its legacy.  While many of the students were familiar with these histories, the museums and their compelling visuals and data-rich exhibits provided a far deeper insight into these topics and facilitated further conversation between the REU cohort. The REU cohort spent much of their summer learning with and from graduate students enrolled in the masters of speech-language pathology (SLP) program at the University of Alabama.  At the end of the summer experience, a BBQ event was facilitated (food, yard games) to spur on friendly competition between REU and SLP students.  This provided both groups an informal opportunity to debrief about the summer experiences.  In this work an overview of the REU site will be provided with a focus on the logistical elements to pilot the social, cultural and professional development efforts, a summary of the student feedback from the written reflections and focus groups, experiences of the program coordinators, and future plans to refine and improve these elements will be presented.
AU  - Todd Freeborn
AU  - Memorie M. Gosa
CY  - Virtual Conference
DA  - 2021/07/26
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Work-in-Progress: Social and Cultural Activities Integrated into an REU Site in the U.S. South
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/38218
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--38218
ER  -