RCMS: MINORITY STUDENT RESEARCH EXPERIENCES

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9450415 Steen The University of Oklahoma (OU) Minority Engineering Program (MEP) is excited about the addition of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Research Career for Minority Scholars (RCMS) project. The project will be a perfect addition to the OU MEP. OU MEP and the university have made a true commitment to provide enhanced higher education options for minority scholars. This commitment exceeds one million dollars annually in support of operating expenses, scholarships, and fee waivers to minority students majoring in engineering and has allowed the OU MEP to reach a total enrollment of 484 students for the Fall 1993 semester. The minority engineering undergraduate enrollment constitutes over 20 percent of the College of Engineering enrollment--a truly phenomenal achievement! This minority engineering enrollment includes some of the best students in the nation. For example four OU students have won the National Black Engineer of the Year Award - Student Leadership Category in the first seven years of the award. The University of Oklahoma minority engineering student population provides the opportunity for unparalleled success in meeting the objectives of the RCMS project. The OU MEP RCMS project is designed for excellence. The centerpiece activity will be a quality research experience under the supervision of faculty mentors. The project objectives will be accomplished using two tiers of research experiences and activities. Tier I will be a developmental stage for twenty freshmen and sophomores and will focus on academic achievement, personal development and an introduction to the world of research. Tier II is designed for 20 to 35 advanced students and will focus on a research experience and related activities. Tier II participants will also prepare technical research papers, make oral presentations at monthly meetings, attend regional and national conferences related to their research projects, submit their research for presentations and public ation, and serve as mentors to younger students. The RCMS participants will also have enhanced opportunities to experience research outside the university. The project staff will work with corporations and national laboratories to provide summer internships. The participants for the NSF RCMS project will be selected from the minority engineering student population at the University of Oklahoma. The minority engineering enrollment is composed of approximately four hundred and fifty undergraduates with a significant number of all three underrepresented minority groups: American Indian, Black and Hispanic. The minority engineering enrollment is also national in scope with students from Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, New Mexico, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida. The participants will be selected based on academic ability, motivation, financial needs and careers goals. Participants will be provided a stipend for their participation in the project. Evaluation of the project will be based on required data to NSF and such factors as number of participants, retention rate of participants, number of technical paper submissions and quality of research experiences.