Research Experiences for Undergraduates Site in Structural Engineering

9820484阿拉巴马大学伯明翰分校诺伯特·j·德拉特（Norbert J. Delatte）为阿拉巴马大学伯明翰分校（UAB）提出了一个结构工程本科生研究经验（REU）站点。本网站将邀请8名优秀本科生参加UAB为期10周的研究项目。预计将有不超过三名学生来自UAB。其他学生将从全国各地的工程和预科工程项目中招募，重点是那些学生没有机会参与研究的项目。招聘将集中在符合这一标准的四个机构，我们在过去三年中在REU项目中密切合作。已经与这四所学校达成协议，其中三所是历史上的黑人大学。提供研究机会对于留住少数民族学生很重要，这是UAB的一项使命，它服务于一个少数民族人口众多的地区。邀请少数族裔学生和工程课程早期的学生在UAB进行暑期研究，将鼓励他们留在学校，给他们在一所主要大学的体验，让他们体验工程，并允许他们赚钱支付他们的教育费用。在过去的三年中，UAB土木与环境工程系在结构工程方面运营了一个非常成功的REU站点，每年为六名学生提供服务，Duane Castaneda博士担任首席研究员。本建议力求在这一基础上进一步发展。结构工程学院和UAB积极为本科生和高中生提供研究经验。UAB是阿拉巴马州唯一一所被卡内基基金会评为一级研究机构的大学。此外，由8名教员组成的土木与环境工程系积极参与资助的研究，1997-98年度的研究支出为49.7万美元。该部门的教员目前有大约130万美元的未决赠款和合同。这个结构工程REU网站将为阿拉巴马州和乔治亚州有才华的少数民族学生以及那些在工程预科项目中的学生提供一个独特的机会来进行和体验工程研究。除了这些学生的直接利益外，参与学院和UAB之间的关系也将得到加强。

9820484University of Alabama at Birmingham Norbert J. Delatte A Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site in Structural Engineering is proposed for the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). This site will invite eight outstanding undergraduate students to participate in a ten-week research program at UAB. It is anticipated that no more than three students will be from UAB. Other students will be recruited from engineering and pre-engineering programs throughout the nation, with emphasis on programs where students do not have the opportunity to participate in research. Recruiting will focus on four institutions meeting this criterion that we have cooperated closely with in the REU program over the past three years. Agreements have already been made with these four schools, three of which are historically black universities. Providing research opportunities is important for retaining minority students, a mission of UAB, which serves a region with a high minority population. Inviting minority students and those early in their engineering curricula to conduct research for a summer at UAB will encourage them to stay in school, give them the experience of being at a major university, allow them to experience engineering, and allow them to earn money to pay for their education. Over the past three years, the UAB Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering has operated a highly successful REU Site in Structural Engineering for six students per year, with Dr. Duane Castaneda as Principal Investigator. This proposal seeks to build further on that foundation. The Structural Engineering faculty and UAB actively provide research experiences for undergraduate as well as high school students. UAB is the only institution in Alabama rated Research I by the Carnegie Foundation. Also, the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering comprised of eight faculty members is active in funded research as evidenced by having $497,000 in research expenditures during the 1997-98 year. The faculty of the department currently has approximately $1.3 million in pending grants and contracts. This REU Site in Structural Engineering will provide talented Alabama and Georgia minority students and those in pre-engineering programs with a unique opportunity to conduct and experience engineering research. As well as these immediate benefits to these students, relationships between the participating colleges and UAB will be strengthened.