Asee peer logo

Board 405: The REU Site in Nanotechnology for Health, Energy and the Environment: Best Practices for Enhancing Research Skills, Professional Development, and Diversity

Download Paper |

Conference

2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Baltimore , Maryland

Publication Date

June 25, 2023

Start Date

June 25, 2023

End Date

June 28, 2023

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Tagged Topics

Diversity and NSF Grantees Poster Session

Page Count

12

DOI

10.18260/1-2--42711

Permanent URL

https://strategy.asee.org/42711

Download Count

94

Request a correction

Paper Authors

biography

Gary P. Halada Stony Brook University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0001-7768-8390

visit author page

Dr. Halada, Associate Professor in Materials Science and Chemical Engineering at Stony Brook University, directs an interdisciplinary undergraduate degree program in Engineering Science. He designs educational materials focused on nanotechnology, advanced manufacturing and engineering adaptation for climate change. He also works with faculty from other disciplines to explore the integration of STEM and liberal arts education.

visit author page

author page

Lisa Ospitale Stony Brook University

Download Paper |

Abstract

For the past twelve years, the REU Site in Nanotechnology for Health, Energy and the Environment has been supported at Stony Brook University in New York State. Over the years, we have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to develop and pilot workshops, panels and presentations that supported the professional development of our scholars and the advancement of research skills, while providing opportunities for students from a wide range of institutions (including community colleges), educational levels (including many first and second year students), academic majors, and demographic backgrounds. Having a history of feedback via surveys and interviews by our external reviewer from over 120 participants allows us to analyze the effectiveness of summer activities as the program has continued to evolve. Tracking personal identifiable data has allowed us to follow former participants and document their academic and professional outcomes for years after. In addition, we report on the results of recruitment activities which have resulted in an increasingly diverse cohort of participants (over 55% of our REU scholars have been female and more than 35% have members of underrepresented minority populations). The role of mentors, targeted outreach, and other factors which can positively impact diversity and inclusiveness will also be discussed. Combining all of the evidence and information provided by our tracking systems has delivered significant insight which can inform the development of effective undergraduate research opportunities, and assist in identifying best practices for continuous improvement of our ongoing REU program site.

Halada, G. P., & Ospitale, L. (2023, June), Board 405: The REU Site in Nanotechnology for Health, Energy and the Environment: Best Practices for Enhancing Research Skills, Professional Development, and Diversity Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--42711

ASEE holds the copyright on this document. It may be read by the public free of charge. Authors may archive their work on personal websites or in institutional repositories with the following citation: © 2023 American Society for Engineering Education. Other scholars may excerpt or quote from these materials with the same citation. When excerpting or quoting from Conference Proceedings, authors should, in addition to noting the ASEE copyright, list all the original authors and their institutions and name the host city of the conference. - Last updated April 1, 2015