REU site: Introduction to Multiscale Engineering

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This three year REU Site award at Washington State University (WSU) entitled "Introduction to Multiscale Engineering, is dedicated to using modern processing, modeling and analysis techniques to understand the relationships between the structure and properties at various length scales spanning the spectrum from the atomic scale to the macroscopic scale. Ten undergraduate students will participate each summer in individual projects over the course of 10 weeks. A group of 9 faculty members in the College of Engineering and Architecture at WSU will be dedicated to mentoring and research supervision. Each project will introduce the student to basic concepts in multiscale engineering and, thus, each project will include components (experimental and/or analytical and numerical) that deal with at least two different length scales. Students will work with a team including faculty, post docs and graduate students on projects such as multiscale models of materials behavior, discrete particle simulation of granular materials, collective behavior of carbon nanotubes, mechanical behavior of sheet metals under dynamic loading, modeling and simulation of microfluidic fuel cells, thermoacoustic electricity generators, scaling of hydrogenic twin-screw extruders for the fueling of fusion energy machines, fabrication and characterization of thermal interface materials, scaling issues in resonant heat engines, and multiscale effects in composite laminates.This REU Site program will provide a research experience for a diverse group of students, ranging from ethnicity, gender, academic, and economic backgrounds. Recruitment efforts will focus on students from demographic groups traditionally underrepresented in engineering and science, students from schools that have limited research, and students who are 1st and 2nd year undergraduates who are often not given research opportunities. The goal for this REU site is to increase participation by underrepresented groups from the current 45% to over 50%. In particular, the program will increase participation by Hispanic students through mentoring programs. By actively recruiting students who have finished their first and second years, the program aims to attract students to engineering who otherwise might have changed majors later in their undergraduate studies. This strategy is designed to attract and retain students from many disciplines of engineering and science to careers in multiscale science and engineering.