REU Site: Retaining Engineers through Research Entrepreneurship and Advanced-Materials Training

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The three-year REU Site program at Florida State University (FSU) will focus on training ten undergraduate students each year on the utilization, manufacture, and characterization of multiscale, and multifunctional advanced composites. The proposed program will introduce participants to the importance and rewards of creating novel technologies and moving the technologies into the marketplace. This program will engage the participants in activities that focus on bridging the gap between materials engineering innovations and their market potential. This will be achieved through a combination of lab based research, and seminars. The research component will focus on innovative developmental work in multiscale-multifunctional materials. This hands-on experience will allow the participants the opportunity to experience their classroom learning in the STEM disciplines being manifested in the labs. As such, the ideal candidate would have completed their junior year. The REU Site program will begin with seminars on Research Methodology; Environmental, Health and Safety; an Introduction to Advanced Composites Materials; and briefings by the research faculty on their projects. The participants will learn to apply basic statistical methods, including the design and analysis of multifactor engineering experiments, to each of their projects.The training seminars will be offered through the Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (IME) Department on statistical analysis, engineering data analysis, and experimental design along with the use of modern statistical software packages. The focus of the seminar sessions will be on preparing the undergraduate students to plan, design, conduct, and analyze experiments as part of their projects with high performance materials. The students will also develop their business skills through seminars provided through the Jim Moran Institute (JMI) of Global Entrepreneurship in the College of Business at FSU. The expectation is that the participant will be inspired to develop a business plan for taking their research to market. This will be critical in convincing the participants to continue into graduate programs as it may help reduce the belief that graduate research degrees do not have direct relevance to the business environment. Although the Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization (TEC) seminars will take place during the first four weeks of the program, the students will be required to discuss their progress with the TEC faculty mentor to guide them in getting their product to market. Participants will also travel to the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL/RWAV) Eglin AFB, where they will attend seminars on the role of engineered materials in the defense of our nation. Through these seminars, the students will be made aware of engineering and research opportunities in Federal labs. The REU Site program will culminate with the EngiPreneur Competition where students will showcase their strategy for bringing their research to marketplace. The Principal Investigator (PI) plans to target students who have completed their junior year in STEM undergraduate programs in the Eastern and South Eastern United States. This program will encourage the REU participants to continue post baccalaureate into Engineering careers in industry or continue to postgraduate training in materials engineering research. Data on the success of the REU program will be collected, collated and published to support the growth of engineering education for US citizens and nationals.