The three-year REU Site program at Florida State University (FSU) will focus on training ten undergraduate students each year on the utilization, manufacture, and characterization of multiscale, and multifunctional advanced composites. The proposed program will introduce participants to the importance and rewards of creating novel technologies and moving the technologies into the marketplace. This program will engage the participants in activities that focus on bridging the gap between materials engineering innovations and their market potential. This will be achieved through a combination of lab based research, and seminars.
The research component will focus on innovative developmental work in multiscale-multifunctional materials. This hands-on experience will allow the participants the opportunity to experience their classroom learning in the STEM disciplines being manifested in the labs. As such, the ideal candidate would have completed their junior year. The REU Site program will begin with seminars on Research Methodology; Environmental, Health and Safety; an Introduction to Advanced Composites Materials; and briefings by the research faculty on their projects. The participants will learn to apply basic statistical methods, including the design and analysis of multifactor engineering experiments, to each of their projects.
The training seminars will be offered through the Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (IME) Department on statistical analysis, engineering data analysis, and experimental design along with the use of modern statistical software packages. The focus of the seminar sessions will be on preparing the undergraduate students to plan, design, conduct, and analyze experiments as part of their projects with high performance materials.
The students will also develop their business skills through seminars provided through the Jim Moran Institute (JMI) of Global Entrepreneurship in the College of Business at FSU. The expectation is that the participant will be inspired to develop a business plan for taking their research to market. This will be critical in convincing the participants to continue into graduate programs as it may help reduce the belief that graduate research degrees do not have direct relevance to the business environment. Although the Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization (TEC) seminars will take place during the first four weeks of the program, the students will be required to discuss their progress with the TEC faculty mentor to guide them in getting their product to market. Participants will also travel to the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL/RWAV) Eglin AFB, where they will attend seminars on the role of engineered materials in the defense of our nation. Through these seminars, the students will be made aware of engineering and research opportunities in Federal labs. The REU Site program will culminate with the EngiPreneur Competition where students will showcase their strategy for bringing their research to marketplace.
The Principal Investigator (PI) plans to target students who have completed their junior year in STEM undergraduate programs in the Eastern and South Eastern United States. This program will encourage the REU participants to continue post baccalaureate into Engineering careers in industry or continue to postgraduate training in materials engineering research. Data on the success of the REU program will be collected, collated and published to support the growth of engineering education for US citizens and nationals.
With the vital support of the Division of Engineering Education and Centers, the REU Site: Retaining Engineers through Research Entrepreneurship and Advanced–Materials Training will encourage undergraduate students to pursue graduate degrees in the STEM disciplines by training students in advanced materials with an entrepreneurial twist to show the potential rewards, both intellectually and financially, for pursuing STEM degrees. Thirty interns in all (ten each summer) benefitted from this program over the 3 summers (2011-2013). In 2011, there were 4 female and 6 male participants. In 2012, there were also 4 females and 6 males. In 2013, 7 male and 3 female interns participated. They were involved in research featuring the processing and applications of nanomaterials, and multiscale-multifunctional composite materials research, as well as the application of big data. The projects were selected to equip the students with knowledge in the synthesis and characterization of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and their utilization in manufacturing processes. Each summer, the RETREAT summer program took place over 10 weeks, from May to August at the Florida State University’s High-Performance Materials Institute (HPMI). The students were trained as part of this program on materials research and entrepreneurship. They received the basic tools as stated in the proposal to enable them conduct meaningful research in an ethical and safe manner. This was done through seminars and lab sessions. The seminars were delivered by professors and professionals from the Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Department of the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, the High Performance Materials Institute (HPMI), the FSU Jim Moran Institute of Global Entrepreneurship, and FSU Environmental Health and Safety (EHS). The REU RETREAT site collaborated with the Air Force Research Lab /RWAV as stated in the proposal, to foster awareness of opportunities offered by the Department of Defense (DoD) labs. As such, each year, the interns visited the AFRL/RWAV to better understand their needs and find out career opportunities. The interns worked on independent projects (as shown in the 6 posters submitted), and extended the developmental stages of their various research areas. Six posters of their research project business plans are provided with the reports. A major success measure is the matriculation of students into graduate engineering research programs, and/or the progression to engineering and technology careers. All the interns have shown interest in pursuing graduate programs or employment in STEM-based disciplines or operations. The following statements are examples from testimonials received from the interns, may lend credence to the success of our approach. "Participating in this REU program really showed me the diversity of my degree and all the possibilities/ opportunities that are available to me. At one point, I was going to change my major. However, this REU in particular showed me that I can be qualified in any field. It really helped me morally to stick with my engineering program as well, as I met upper classmen who went through the same struggles that I faced that year. They encouraged me to never give up! Still to this day, I keep in contact with a few of my fellow REU members! This REU also allowed me to apply my classroom knowledge to a real life application. Overall, it was a great experience and it definitely contributed to my decision to remain in the STEM field" (2011 Intern). "I thought the program was a great way to learn about different kinds of research and the opportunities available with an education in the STEM fields. I really liked the entrepreneurship aspect of the program, as this is something I have not come across anywhere else in my undergraduate career". (2012 Intern). Intellectual Merit: Through lab experience and targeted seminars, the students gained versatile, innovative and independent thinking in both engineering and business. The seminars provided fundamental knowledge to assist in their research and include topics in Research Methods and Ethics, Health & Safety, Engineering Data Analysis, Experimental Design and using statistical software packages. Entrepreneurial component seminars on Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization, presented by the FSU College of Business Jim Moran Institute, will provide an understanding of the relevance of research innovations and graduate research degrees to the business environment. This culminated with the EngiPreneur Competition where students will present their strategy for bringing their research to the marketplace. Broader Impacts: Over 10-weeks, the REU program bridges the gap between materials engineering innovations and their market potential. The participants entering into the STEM fields and later the U.S. workforce will be better educated with the practical experience to take their innovations from the lab to the marketplace. For more information, please go to: www.eng.fsu.edu/retreat/
