A Summer Research Experience For Undergraduate Students In Civil Engineering

Abstract

Abstract This paper describes a project conducted to provide research experience to engineering undergraduate students involving discovery through actual construction, experimental testing, observing and recording, synthesizing the data collected, and generalizations. The project was part of a Research for Undergraduates Site grant sponsored by the National Science Foundation, and administered in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Cincinnati during the Summer of 2001. The research experience provided was in the area of structural engineering. Nine students were selected to participate in the Site; four students selected were from institutions outside Cincinnati, and five were selected from UC. These included three women, one Native American male, one Hispanic male, one African American male, and three white American male students, and each group worked on a separate project during the two summer months. Each group were supervised by the Project Director (author) and a Faculty Mentor, one Graduate Student Mentor (Research Assistant), and a Lab Technician during the complete duration of the REU Site. The paper presents how the whole research program was planned and conducted, the details of the projects selected for the students, and procedures used to evaluate the impact of the project. This paper will help others in planning similar experiences for engineering undergraduate students.