The primary objective of the investigators is to encourage talented undergraduate students to pursue graduate study and research careers in computer science. The program directly impacts students by giving them first-hand experience with some of the most rewarding activities that characterize graduate study and research careers: conducting research as a team, disseminating results, and participating in a community of scholars. The research projects are drawn from a number of important fields of computer science. The importance of teamwork and participating in a scholarly community is emphasized to the students. It should be noted that all of the student participants in this program are enrolled at undergraduate-only institutions. Thus, the program extends research experiences to students who are not enrolled in large research institutions, and who thus might not have the opportunity to participate in research otherwise.
The particular projects vary with the specialties and interests of the faculty members participating in any given year. Project areas include pen-based computing, computer-supported cooperative work, assistive technology (text navigation for the visually impaired), natural language processing (text summarization), functional programming languages, wireless sensor networks, programming pedagogy, and virtual reality. In addition to providing an orientation to their research projects, faculty mentors sponsor orientation activities to help the students appreciate the nature of research and the value of working cooperatively. Students are encouraged to collaborate formally and informally. Students have several opportunities to present their work to other REU participants as well as to external audiences. Finally, students learn about the graduate school application process in part by visiting a major research university.
