Sixty-seven undergraduate students from across the U.S. gathered at 麻豆原创 to take advantage of STEM research opportunities through the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program.
麻豆原创鈥檚 REU site, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, connects promising STEM students with established faculty at REU sites, enhancing their in-class learning experience with research, workshops and events.
麻豆原创鈥檚 Office of Undergraduate Research and Office of Research collaborate to support REU principal investigators and student participants. There are six cohorts covering distinct areas of research that are comprised of 11 principal investigators and dozens of graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and faculty mentors:
- Research Experience for Undergraduates in Computer Vision
- Advanced Technologies in Hypersonic, Propulsive, Energetic and Reusable Platforms
- Research in Materials for Energy Applications
- and
- Engineering and Nanoscience of Materials and Device Applications in Biotechnology and Medicine
- and the
- Conservation, Restoration and Communication
- and Coastal Cluster
- Applied Computation Mathematics
麻豆原创’s CRCV, led by director Mubarak Shah, has run the nation’s longest continuous REU program for 37 years. The university has maintained five or six REU programs since 2022, and 麻豆原创-based nonprofit has been approved for next summer鈥檚 REU.
Students engage in a 10-to-12-week program and participate in workshops, labs and an individual research project that they may select from topics provided by corresponding mentors. Students then present their research to their cohort at the conclusion of the REU just before the start of the fall semester.
Launching Research and Accelerating Learning
Isabella Llamazares, a rising junior studying mechanical engineering at Florida International University, wanted to learn more about aerospace engineering but opportunities were limited at her school. She was accepted into the HYPER REU at 麻豆原创 and was excited to supplement her learning.
鈥淚 always knew that I had to find other opportunities, and I knew that I wanted to come to 麻豆原创 either for undergraduate or graduate studies,鈥� Llamazares says. 鈥淭his REU will help me back at my university. Although we don鈥檛 have aerospace down there, I鈥檓 part of an aviation club, and I have this as knowledge that I can build upon.鈥�
With an interest in fluid dynamics and propulsion, her project described timing detonations as part of the combustion process for rockets and how to ultimately make them safer.
鈥淚 came in just having very basic knowledge from my classes,鈥� Llamazares says. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have the average aerospace engineering experience, but it was that dedication and really wanting to continue in this field that got me here. This REU and this project have really helped solidify that I want to pursue something related to the fluids field.鈥�
James Hippelhauser 鈥�11 鈥�20MS 鈥�23PhD, a HYPER REU mentor and postdoctoral researcher for astrodynamics and space robotics, was pleased with his students.
鈥淚’m definitely satisfied with their progress,鈥� he says. 鈥淎strodynamics is a topic that they don’t really get to learn from a classroom standpoint. I know they learned a lot just from a concept standpoint, but also applying it.鈥�
Hippelhauser was impressed with how well the students absorbed and applied complicated topics such as orbital mechanics.
鈥淚t kind of reminded me a lot when I first started research,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t can be a challenge. Orbital mechanics isn鈥檛 a common topic especially for undergrads. They learned as much as they could and as fast as they could.鈥�
Hippelhauser encourages prospective REU students interested in hypersonics, space, propulsion and energy to explore something they may not know.
鈥淒on’t limit yourself to a topic you’re comfortable with,鈥� he says. 鈥淭ry to go for a topic that you would not have considered.鈥�
Emmelia Lichty, a junior mechanical engineering major at Oral Roberts University, was drawn to 麻豆原创鈥檚 REU because she says she鈥檚 always loved space.
鈥淢y dad was an Air Force pilot and he flew fighter jets,鈥� she says. 鈥淪o, I got to see them up close and I鈥檝e always been infatuated. I came here because everything aerospace is right here with NASA, the space coast, and 麻豆原创 is so involved in aerospace research.鈥�
Lichty worked under the mentorship of Florida Space Institute (FSI) Interim Director Julie Brisset to enhance a precision cooling loop for a space-based payload.
鈥淎ny fluctuations would affect the actual experiment itself,鈥� Lichty says. 鈥淢y cooling loop had to be very precise, within plus or minus point one degrees. I had to make the improvements and monitor hardware and code modifications to get the cooling loop to that precision, which I was able to do by the end of the summer.鈥�
The ability to not just apply classroom knowledge but move beyond it was something she says was very appealing and rewarding.
鈥淕etting hands-on experience with problem-solving is a really a big part of the REU,鈥� Lichty says. 鈥淵ou also get a taste of research, and it helps you make those decisions about your career, like if you want to go to grad school or not.鈥�
Brisset, who also is an associate scientist with FSI, agrees that exposure to research is crucial in understanding and navigating a STEM education.
鈥淭here are two components that need to work together, both in the classroom and in the research lab,鈥� she says. 鈥淪ometimes it can be an abstract exercise working in a classroom, but if you have a real-life application, it can be easier to make a connection.鈥�
It was rewarding seeing Lichty immerse herself fully in her research, Brissett says.
鈥淚 think it was very complete,鈥� she says. 鈥淓mmie did mechanical work, fluid mechanics, some electronics and some coding. In the end, it was a very complete lab experience. The research was a success as she achieved the cooling precision.鈥�
The competitive nature of REUs across the board has increased, as well as the quality of applicants, Brisset says.
鈥淲e have undergrads who go through this program who stay in STEM and routinely end up in grad school,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e have people who are mid-career that come to us and say they discovered their love for astronomy when they did the REU program.鈥�
Getting Out and Shoring Up
Rowan Wyss, a senior biology student at Eckerd College, participated in 麻豆原创鈥檚 Coastal Cluster REU, where he studied feral hog populations and their interactions with the environment and other animals at the Mosquito Lagoon.
He says found the research experience gratifying and hopes to continue quantifying where and how these animal populations forage.
鈥淚 was looking for an REU experience and was aware of its transformative nature 鈥� how it exposes you to grad school and different software or programs used for biology research,鈥� Wyss says. 鈥淚 got way more out of the REU than I thought. I built so many connections and I鈥檓 much more proficient in software and the tools of the trade.鈥�
In the early stages of applying and even participating in the REU, it can be easy to feel the 鈥渋mposter syndrome,鈥� or feeling like you鈥檝e lucked into a position you鈥檙e not qualified for despite being actually qualified, Wyss says.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e surrounded with people extremely proficient in this field when you might have little to no research experience. But that’s just science. It’s never a competition. It鈥檚 people working together,鈥� he says.
Otis Woolfolk, a junior studying biology/marine biology track at 麻豆原创, tested the resiliency and sustainability of novel non-plastic oyster bags filled with recycled shells to restore shorelines throughout Florida. Woolfolk鈥檚 research marks the first test of the new materials in warm water restoration conditions.
He learned about REUs after being encouraged to apply by his ecology professor, Melinda Donnelly, and through his volunteer work with 麻豆原创鈥檚 Coastal and Estuarine Ecology Lab.
鈥淚 was asked about the ideas I had for my Ph.D., and I really want to work on microplastics and how they affect mangroves,鈥� Wolfolk says. 鈥淪o, this was close to that. Oyster bags generally use plastics, so I experimented with using more environmentally friendly materials made of potato starch or basalt that deteriorate within years.鈥�
He found the process exciting and enjoyed delving into a component of marine biology and conservation that he may not have considered had he not participated in the REU.
鈥淎s a novice scientist, I learned a huge amount,鈥� Wolfolk says. 鈥淚t’s a time for you to get messy and make mistakes. You鈥檙e doing research, doing workshops and you鈥檙e learning how the science world works.鈥�
During his poster presentation, Wolfolk says he felt a newfound confidence in his ability as a novice scientist when a freshman asked him how to get involved with research.
鈥淢y advice?鈥� he says. 鈥淰olunteer as much as possible and don鈥檛 doubt yourself.鈥�
Linda Walters, lead investigator for the Conservation, Restoration and Communication NSF REU site and Wolfolk鈥檚 REU mentor, says Wolfolk did an exemplary job in his research.
鈥淚t was very rewarding to watch this journey,鈥� she says. 鈥淥tis had the opportunity to be on the ground-floor of our cutting-edge research in marine restoration this summer. He is gifted at asking good, thought-provoking questions and communicating his science.鈥�
The program is very competitive and only 10 students were selected for the Coastal Cluster REU out of 377 applicants, says Walters, who also is a Pegasus Professor of biology. Those who participate in the REU usually continue their education through graduate school, she says.
鈥淒uring the 10 weeks, the students go from a very limited research background to developing their research questions, collecting data, analyzing their data and presenting their projects to the larger community,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t is a lot of work for the mentors to keep everything on track for this accelerated timeline, but the students make it worthwhile. They become confident researchers in 10 weeks.鈥�
Honing a Vision
麻豆原创鈥檚 CRCV has hosted about 370 students since it was designated as an REU site 37 years ago and continues to guide undergraduates in the evolving field of computer vision, says Niels Lobo, associate professor of computer science and CRCV REU mentor.
鈥淭he nature of the REU has matured,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he field has evolved, and what students are doing now in their projects is vastly different than what people would have done 10 to 20 years ago.鈥�
Lobo came to 麻豆原创 31 years ago and was encouraged to assist with REUs within the first year. Lobo has seen the composition of student applicants and participates becoming more dynamic during his time at the university.
鈥淲hat we’re seeing is that the student population applying for these research opportunities is exploding,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat means that the overall experience of the cohort is going to be a little bit richer because everybody gets exposed to something different.鈥�
Computer vision is harnessing the power of technology to not just view things through a camera, but to understand them, Lobo says. Continually adapting to the constant evolution of the field while also considering computer vision鈥檚 ethical implications are two components he is teaching students.
鈥淓very two or three years, the field discovers something new,鈥� Lobo says. 鈥淚n research, there are no study guides, so you need to go out and explore. That process of discovery is only accomplished through research.鈥�
Claire Zhang, a junior studying applied mathematics-computer science at Brown University, was glad to have embarked on CRCV REU.
She previously conducted remote research, but she says the program at 麻豆原创 provided her with a more immersive and shared experience.
鈥淚t was really nice meeting this community and coming to work together,鈥� Zhang says. 鈥淚 imagined it being very independent, but I found that it was a lot more collaborative than I originally thought even though we all had our own independent projects.鈥�
Her project involved creating segmentation masks for solar cells to show their degradation in a quantitative way rather than the qualitative way of identifying degradation by darkened glass regions of cells. Zhang created and used a model that outlines the materials and can characterize how degraded the cells are.
鈥淚 have almost no experience with material science,鈥� she says. 鈥淭his project connected material science to computer science, and it was a great introduction.鈥�
Zhang gained not just expertise in a field she鈥檚 interested in, but also knowledge and momentum to continue her education and pursuit of a STEM career.
鈥淔or the past semester, I had been thinking about whether I should explore different concentrations,鈥� she says. 鈥淭his summer showed me that I can continue to explore other interests while remaining in this concentration, specifically, that I could apply computer science to these other interests.鈥�
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