The NSF-funded Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) program titled “Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research Experience (IREECE)” has run for 6 consecutive years at Oakland University. The focus of this paper is to share lessons learned and developed best practices for mentoring undergraduate student research. Over the course of the program, 65 students from 30 different universities participated, 45% were female, 35% were minorities, and 69% were lowerclassmen. The program resulted in 17 conference papers, 10 poster presentations, and a design that lead, in-part, to an award winning aerial/marine quad-copter. An impressive 89% of the students went onto work in a research position in industry or academia. The program has had significant impact on the student’s interest in attending graduate school after completing their undergraduate studies, which is a primary goal of IREECE. In addition, progress on active research projects has been achieved by the participants and IREECE has served as a great opportunity for primarily junior faculty members to collaborate on projects and engage in undergraduate research mentoring.
Brian K. Dean is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Oakland University. He received the B.S.E.E. for the University of Wyoming in Laramie, WY, USA in 2006, the M.S.E.E. in 2008, and the Ph.D. in 2012. Dr. De
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