The goal of this project is to encourage more outstanding undergraduates to pursue research careers. Considerable experience has been gained in the last four years with successful REU sites. This year the program is continued with the key aspects of the previous years including: (1) a successful recruitment program; (2) careful matching of student interests with available research projects; (3) an effective management structure; (4) research assignments the students can quickly grasp and complete in the proposed time frame; and (5) follow-up procedures designed to maintain student interest in research. The four research projects involve probabilistic methods, state-of-the-art soils testing, scale modeling, structural testing, and soil-structure interaction. Two students are involved in each project to allow for student interaction. Interaction is also fostered by group seminars and meetings. Follow- through strategies include a newsletter mailed after the REU student leaves the University of Maine. The students have full use of advanced laboratories and computational facilities.
