REU Site: iREU: Promoting Innovation and Entrepreneurship through Academic-Industrial Partnerships

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Intellectual MeritThe objective of this three year REU site program at the University of Connecticut (UConn) is to develop a unique Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site thematically based on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The program will be titled an "Innovative Research Experience for Undergraduates", or ( iREU). Each student will have an independent research project advised by a faculty member. The iREU program, however, will also incorporate an Industry Mentor that has a commercial interest in the project. This mentor, in combination with a business oriented seminar series, will expose engineering students to the commercial side of innovation and help them link their work to a targeted market.This iREU program will facilitate academic-industrial partnerships that are often the precursor to technology development. Fostering such collaborations will strengthen research efforts at UConn by providing additional opportunities for funding and innovation. The diversity of cutting-edge research in the Chemical, Materials, and Biomolecular Engineering (CMBE) Department provides unique opportunities for students of varying interests, and UConn provides world-class research facilities and centers to help students in their research. The Principal Investigator (PI)is a CMBE professor with a proven track record in undergraduate research based education and the Co-PI is a University of Connecticut School of Business professor with a strong background in developing entrepreneurship programs in the School of Engineering. Each REU student will have the opportunity to present their work in their laboratory group meetings, present progress reports to both mentors, an end-of-program oral presentation, a final report and a poster session at the Connecticut Innovation Connection.Broader Impacts The iREU program, like most REUs, will provide an independent research project for an undergraduate student in a cutting-edge field and give that student an opportunity to intellectually contribute to a dynamic research environment. Additionally, however, the program will help link that research to the market and thus providing the crucial connection between theory and practice. This is made possible by the unique mentorship structure of the iREU where the student is co-mentored by an academic faculty and a company partner. This provides the student with multiple feedback sources on their written and oral presentations, both of which will be an integral part of the iREU program. It also expands the student's network to include a company, which can provide internships or permanent employment, and a faculty, who can provide letters of recommendation and career mentorship. The iREU will also facilitate the participation of underrepresented groups with targeted recruitment at a Historic Women's College. The iREU program has partnered with Smith College (98% female) to directly recruit from its Picker Engineering Program. Smith College, located less than 90 minutes from UCONN, will be visited by the PI each year for recruitment and a minimum of two spots in the iREU will be reserved for Smith College Students.