Free ticketed event
This NSF-sponsored workshop is focused on “enhancing interdisciplinary research for undergraduates” and will draw upon the experiences of the workshop presenters who have been implementing a successful NSF/Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site on Interdisciplinary Water Science and Engineering on Virginia Tech campus since 2007. As of summer 2018, this site has provided interdisciplinary research experiences to 105 REU scholars (70 women, 35 men, and 19 percent ethnic minorities) representing 60-plus institutions across United States. Twenty-two faculty and 80-plus graduate students representing 5 different colleges at Virginia Tech (Engineering, Science, Agriculture & Life Sciences, Natural Resources and Environment, and Architecture and Urban Studies) have served as mentors to the REU scholars. These REU scholars have contributed 60-plus publications including in journals such as American Journal of Undergraduate Research, Environmental Science & Technology, Frontiers in Microbiology, and Journal of American Water Works Association. The success of this site motivated the faculty mentors to develop and win an interdisciplinary Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) site on WaterECubeG (Engineering, Ecology, Environment, and Geosciences) which has trained 19 teachers from Southwest Virginia to date. Further, the director of the sites developed a seed funding program to encourage VT faculty to develop interdisciplinary REU sites in other STEM disciplines which has already engaged 24 interdisciplinary faculty teams to date. Assessment strategies and results will be presented from both the REU and RET sites. The workshop will include 2-3 interactive sessions that will engage the attendees in conversation regarding effective strategies for developing interdisciplinary research projects and engaging undergraduates to implement such projects.
Vinod K Lohani, Ph.D., professor of engineering education and an adjunct faculty member in civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech;
W.S. "Pete" White, Chair of Innovation in Engineering Education, professor, department of engineering education, director (Education & Global Initiatives), Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS).
Jeremy Smith and Yousef Jalali, Ph.D. Students, Department of Engineering Education
Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
Debarati Basu from UNC, Charlotte
Contact email: vlohani@vt.edu