This study attempted to explore the impact of a research experience for undergraduate (REU) program funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in aerospace engineering at a southwestern public research university. A total of 25 students who are citizens or permanent residents were selected across the United States and participated in the REU program for 10 weeks during the summer in 2017 or 2018.
Each student joined a research group of a faculty mentor in the Aerospace Engineering department and participated in common activities with other undergraduate research programs at the university, such as workshops, tours, social (picnics, barbecues, attending sporting events, and participating in recreational activities). The students shared the same housing arrangements and events to assist in all students having similar experiences, getting exposed to national and international undergraduate researchers, and for community-building. Students had opportunities to respond to the pre-post surveys on career decision making between graduate school and industry, research, and mentoring experiences at the university.
While 24 students responded to either pre- or post-surveys, this study utilized the data from 19 students who responded to both pre- and post-surveys (76% response rate) to present student changes in those areas as the impact of the research experiences at the university. Preliminary findings showed that most students came to favor graduate education and research, their preferences did not change at the end of the REU programs, as desired by the goals of the research experience programs. Students’ perceptions of research knowledge, skills, and engineering career path were all positively improved. Students expressed several areas of research skills that they were able to amass during the programs. While students ranked faculty as the most influential mentor, followed by Ph.D. students and peers, post-doctoral researchers and master’s students ranked the lowest. Content analyses of responses to open-ended questions are currently ongoing to explore further.
Dr. Richard got his Ph. D. at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1989 and a B. S. at Boston University, 1984. He was at NASA Glenn, 1989-1995, worked at Argonne National Lab, 1996-1997, taught at Chicago State University, 1997-2002. Dr. Richard is an Instructional Associate Professor, Aerospace Engineer and NSF REU Program Director at Texas A&M since 1/03. His research focuses on computational plasma modeling using particle methods with spectral methods on Maxwell and Boltzmann equations. He has applied the lattice Boltzmann method to study plasma turbulence and plasma jets. He also studies engineering enculturation to better quantify and understand what in a classroom develops the engineering student into an engineer, building critical, computational and algorithmic thinking, with respect to cultural, ethnic, racial, gender, sexual, nationality, socioeconomic diversity.
Past research includes modeling ocean-air interaction; reacting flow systems; modeling jet engine turbomachinery going unstable (received NASA Performance Cash awards). Dr. Richard is involved in many outreach activities: tutoring, mentoring, directing related grants (e.g., a grant for an NSF REU site). Dr, Richard is active in professional societies (American Physical Society (APS), American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), ASEE, ASME). Dr. Richard has authored or co-authored about 35 technical articles (about 30 of which are refereed publications). Dr. Richard teaches courses ranging from first-year engineering design, fluid mechanics, to space plasma propulsion.
So Yoon Yoon, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Engineering Education, College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS) at the University of Cincinnati. She received her Ph.D. in Gifted Education, and an M.S.Ed. in Research Methods and Measurement with a specialization in Educational Psychology, both from Purdue University. Her work centers on engineering education research as a psychometrician, program evaluator, and data analyst, with research interests in spatial ability, creativity, engineering-integrated STEM education, and research synthesis. As a psychometrician, she has revised, developed, and validated more than 10 instruments beneficial for STEM education practice and research. She has authored/co-authored more than 70 peer-reviewed journal articles and conference proceedings and served as a journal reviewer in engineering education, STEM education, and educational psychology. She has also served as a co-PI, an external evaluator, or an advisory board member on several NSF-funded projects.
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