An evaluation of the research experiences for undergraduates program at the Georgia Institute of Technology

Abstract

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of the Georgia Tech Summer Undergraduate Program of Research in Electrical Engineering for Minorities (GT-SUPREEM), an REU program designed to attract qualified minority students into graduate school in electrical engineering and electronics packaging. In this eight-week program, students of at least junior-level standing are recruited on a nationwide basis and paired with faculty members and graduate student mentors to undertake research in the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and NSF Research Center in Low-Cost Electronic Packaging. From 1992 to 1995, a total of 47 students participated in the program. Thirty-five of these participants were interviewed by phone to obtain information about their perceptions of the program's success and to determine how many of the participants have pursued higher degrees. Findings indicate that 89% of the participants are either enrolled in a graduate program, plan to attend graduate school in the next two years, or have completed a graduate degree. In comparison to a control group of Georgia Tech electrical engineering students, it is found that the REU participants are more likely to continue their studies in engineering. In addition, the participants report higher starting salaries than nonparticipants. This paper provides an overview of the GT-SUPREEM program, including student research activities, success stories, lessons learned, and overall program outlook.