Research Experience for Undergraduates: A pipeline to graduate school for science, engineering and m

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Research Experience for UndergraduatesA
pipeline to graduate school for science,
engineering and mathematics students

• Mehdi Shadaram
• Professor and Chairman
• Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering
• University of Texas at El Paso

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Task Forces within MIE

• ACES, The Academic Center for Engineers and
  Scientists
• CETaL, Center for Effective Teaching and Learning
• CircLES, Circles of Learning for Entering
  Students
• FEAT, Formative Evaluation and Assessment Team
• REU, Research Experience for Undergraduates

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Why REU?

• UTEP is a commuter campus
• Most students work outside campus
• 55 of parents have no college education
• Job market has been great
• REU helps students to stay in campus and learn
  about graduate programs and opportunities beyond
  graduate degree.

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Applicants

• Mostly Junior and senior level students
• GPA ? 3.00
• Letter of recommendation from faculty mentor
• Statement about Academic and Research Goals
• Transcript
• Application
• Applications are reviewed and ranked by the REU
  Committee.
• The REU program typically pays half stipend and
  faculty mentor pays the other half. Currently,
  the total stipend is 750/month

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Involvement

• In Campus Research
• - Small Groups (Few students working with one
  professor)
• -Affinity Groups (a group of Ph.D., MS, and
  undergraduate students working with couple of
  faculty members and post docs)
• Off Campus Research (mostly during summer)
• -Government Laboratories
• -Other Campuses
• -Industry
• Mentoring (10 - 20)
• Workshops
• -GRE
• -Applying to Graduate Schools
• -Resume Writing

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Summer 2001 Off-Campus Activities
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UTEP REU Program Since 1995