REU Site: Automotive Research and Industrial Mentorship Program at Oakland University

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EEC-0552737Laila GuessousThe award provides support for a three-year REU Site at Oakland University. Eight women undergraduate students will be recruited for a ten-week summer experience in the field of mechanical engineering. Students will have the opportunity to do research in automotive-related areas of the fluid and thermal sciences, energy and tribology. The main features of the program include: (1) a three-tier mentorship program, that involves faculty, industrial mentors and graduate students; (2) strong endorsements and commitments from industrial mentors and major automotive companies (e.g. General Motors, DaimlerChrysler, FEV Technology) that have long histories of research and development, including opportunities for participation at the industrial sites;(3) skill motivation and confidence building activities through direct mentorship by female role models and (4) networking and peer support opportunities through coordinated professional activities outside the university. These professional activities include industry and lab tours, seminars, coordinated activities with professional societies such as the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and the Society of Automotive Engineering (SAE), interactions with invited speakers, oral presentations and the opportunity to attend and/or present research findings at a conference. In order to emphasize the importance of professional development, networking and peer support, all students will be enrolled in the SWE and the SAE. The majority of the students will be recruited from two and four year colleges that offer few summer research opportunities for undergraduate students with a special emphasis placed on recruiting minority women students from southeastern Michigan, as well as from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) nationwide. It is anticipated that this REU Site will increase the number of women in mechanical engineering who pursue careers in engineering and embark upon graduate studies to pursue careers in industry, government or academia.This site is supported by the Department of Defense in partnership with the NSF REU program.