REU Site: Collaborative International Automotive and Autonomous Systems Engineering in Germany and the USA

该项目是弗吉尼亚理工大学（VT）和德国达姆施塔特工业大学（TUD）成功的本科生国际研究经验（REU）项目的延续。这个REU项目的统一主题是汽车和自主系统工程。由于它对日常生活的重要性，它通常涉及许多领域的广泛整合，包括机械工程、机电一体化、计算机科学和协同工程，因此它提供了一个有吸引力和优秀的研究领域。该项目将充分利用VT和TUD之间强有力的、持续的合作伙伴关系，包括联合研究、团队教学课程、BSME大四海外项目和双msme学位项目，为REU学生提供第一手经验，展示工程专业的全球化和合作工程的重要性。该项目还将为美国工业和政府机构提供具有国际竞争力、全球参与能力、熟悉并有海外业务经验的未来员工；并为未来国际REU项目的发展提供预测模型的数据，以最有效地匹配个人学生的全球接触模式。在这个为期10周的暑期项目中，来自研究有限或没有研究和国际机会的机构的各种有才华的本科生将有机会在VT或TUD进行全球工程研究实践。该计划还将加强和扩大跨大西洋教师和学生合作的界面，因为指导研究团队与他们的REU学生合作从事跨大西洋联合研究项目。除了他们的研究之外，为了促进跨大西洋队列体验，学生们每周参加一系列研讨会，重点是最佳研究实践、伦理、文化差异和全球化。在夏季结束时，学生们将通过两个REU地点之间的实时双向视频在会议上展示他们的作品。重点将放在吸引REU学生和他们的家乡机构顾问，在他们回国后，增加(1)他们的研究活动产生的出版物的合著者，以及(2)他们的研究生学习。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This program is a continuation of a successful international Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site at Virginia Tech (VT) and Technische Universitaet Darmstadt (TUD) Germany. The unifying theme for this REU program is automotive and autonomous systems engineering. This topic provides an attractive and excellent area for learning about research because of its importance to everyday life and it often involves the broad integration of many fields, including mechanical engineering, mechatronics, computer science, and collaborative engineering. This program will leverage a strong, ongoing partnership between VT and TUD that includes joint research, team-teaching courses, BSME senior-year abroad programs, and dual-MSME degree programs, to provide the REU students with firsthand experience demonstrating the globalization of the engineering profession and the importance of collaborative engineering. The program will also provide US industry and government agencies with future employees that are internationally competitive, globally engaged, and comfortable with and experienced at operating overseas; and contribute data towards the development of a predictive model that best matches an individual student with the most effective mode of global exposure, for the benefit of future international REU programs.During this 10-week summer program diverse and talented cohorts of undergraduates, from institutions with limited or no research and international opportunities will be provided with the opportunity to practice global engineering research at either VT or TUD. This program will also enhance and broaden the interface of the transatlantic faculty and student collaborations as the mentoring research teams collaborate with their REU students engaged in joint transatlantic research projects. In addition to their research, and to facilitate a transatlantic cohort experience, the students participate in a weekly seminar series focusing on best research practices, ethics, cultural differences, and globalization. At the end of the summer, the students will present their work at a conference via live two-way video between the two REU locations. An emphasis will be placed on engaging the REU students and their home institution advisors, upon their return home, to increase (1) their co-authorship of publications resulting from their research activities, and (2) their pursuit of graduate studies.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.