Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)

Program Philosophy

Research Experiences for Undergraduates are important for many reasons. In this program undergraduates are given the opportunity to gain the skills they will use in their everyday life. Some examples of these everyday skills are creating a relationship with a professor, following through the research project from the first step to the final presentation and poster creation, experiences for a resume and future references, and for learning more about the field the they are interested in.

The University of  Minnesota Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is committed to encouraging a culturally diverse group of individuals to pursue successful careers in science and engineering. By providing women and minority undergraduates, and undergraduates from non-research universities, with a challenging and rewarding introduction to research in electrical and computer engineering, this REU site seeks to motivate these students toward obtaining advanced degrees. Below are a few web sites with information about minorities in the engineering field.

                 Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers

                 American Indian Science and Engineering Society

                 National Society of Black Engineers

Fifteen participants are chosen each year from a competitive pool of applications.  The program centers on a ten-week intensive summer research experience in which students are matched with electrical and computer engineering faculty. Each student will be assigned a research topic. The student is expected to conduct a literature survey of current research on that topic. With guidance from the faculty mentor and graduate students, the undergraduate participant is expected to take the initiative in developing a summer research project.

The Research Experience for Teachers is a six-week program run concurrent with the REU, designed to expose top-flight high school science teachers to cutting-edge research. Two high school physics and chemistry teachers are selected, and they may work on projects with the undergraduates or, with guidance from university faculty, design and implement their own summer research projects using university laboratory facilities.

In addition to the work in the laboratory, REU and RET participants are involved in extensive complementary education activities, including a weekly seminar series focusing on their research projects, career seminars and field trips and specialized workshops on assorted topics. As a capstone to the REU experience, each undergraduate prepares a final written report and gives a presentation at a concluding departmental poster session and an all-campus summer research program symposium. Social interaction between students is enhanced through organized social events/outings and a community living environment in a campus dormitory.