A REU program is to involve at least eight undergraduate engineering students in current aerospace and engineering mechanics. These students will be recruited primarily from other universities in the region and selected for the program on basis of their academic achievements. Specific research projects are chosen from the areas of computational fluid mechanics, biomechanics, experimental fluids and propulsion, large space structures, material mechanics, rocket engine diagnostics, and guidance and control. In the proposed program, student participants in the program spend one summer usually between their junior and senior year. Student activities during the summer will include: (1) Participation in research with defined periods of topic familiarization, intense research and project reporting. This activity provides the primary opportunity for interaction between the students, the faculty, and current graduate student. (2) Attendance at weekly REU meetings. These meetings will guarantee contact among the REU students and will also provide contact with faculty from other areas. They also provide a natural forum for the presentation of project results and summaries of research. (3) Attendance at local professional meetings. (4) Visits to private and government research facilities. The REU program will be administered by a faculty coordinator. The coordinator will organize the student recruiting efforts, manage the process of student selection and assignment, coordinate weekly meetings of participants, and arrange visits to research facilities.
