Using a research center-based mentoring program to increase the participation of African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans in engineering

这一工程教育研究项目的重点是让未被充分代表的工程学本科生参与研究中心内的指导研究活动，目的是为了提高保留率，并为学术和研究生涯创造道路。学生在应用能源研究中心有一名指定的系级辅导员和一名研究导师。拟议的活动将增进我们对如何将研究中心的教职员工和设施纳入支持该中心机构之家的本科生教育使命的努力的认识。PI寻求利用中心内较低的学生与研究人员的比例，以及对研究活动的关注，这些活动将使学生兴奋并提高他们的学习能力。这个项目的更广泛的意义和重要性在于它旨在建立本科生和研究中心工作人员之间的关系。在国家层面上，研究中心正在进行的尖端研究有可能帮助学生看到他们在课堂环境中学到的以外的东西，帮助他们看到他们所学的东西在他们所在学科的基础和应用研究中的应用。这反过来又加强了他们本科课程的重要性，从而提高了他们学习新材料的兴趣和努力。作为这个项目的结果，学生们将更多地参与学习，并考虑从事研究工作。该项目与NSF的战略目标重叠，即将研究与教育相结合，以支持世界级工程和科学劳动力的发展。

This engineering education research project focuses on involving underrepresented engineering undergraduate students in mentored research activities within research centers with the intent to improve retention and create pathways for academic and research careers. Students have an assigned department based counselor and a research mentor based in the Center for Applied Energy Research. The proposed activity will advance our knowledge of how to include research center faculty, staff and facilities in efforts to support the undergraduate educational mission of the institutional home of the center. The PI seeks to capitalize on the low student to researcher ratio within the center and the focus on research activities that will excite the student and enhance their learning.The broader significance and importance of this project is in its intent to build relationships between the undergraduate students and the research center staff. The cutting edge research being performed on a national level within research centers has the potential to help students see beyond what they learn in the classroom environment, helping them to see the applications of what they are learning to both basic and applied research in their discipline. This in turn reinforces the importance of their undergraduate curriculum leading to increased interest in, and efforts to, learn new material. As a result of this project students will become more engaged in learning and will consider careers in research.This project overlaps with NSF's strategic goals of integrating research and education to support development of a world-class engineering and science workforce.