The I-MIRTHE REU Site program, affiliated with the NSF Engineering Research Center MIRTHE, trains students in interdisciplinary, cross-institutional, original research in a broadly cast network of research fields under the unifying umbrella of mid-infrared sensor systems research, development, and applications. The program provides students with a cutting-edge educational and research experience that: (1) leads students to independent, original research that is interdisciplinary in nature and has high potential for benefits for society, (2) allows students to experience first-hand the value of collaborative research and teaches the means of effective research communication, (3) encourages and enables the participants to form lasting and broadly cast professional networks with senior students, post-docs, and faculty mentors, (4) fosters diversity in the student population, and (5) provides students who have otherwise limited access to genuine research opportunities with new and potentially career-changing experiences.
The program provides scientific training for a diverse and globally competitive work force and it educates and mentors early career students to become leaders in research and development in fields of importance to society. The program actively recruits underrepresented minorities into the STEM fields, and provides students who have limited access to research resources with opportunities to conduct original research with the leaders in the field and at state-of-the-art facilities. The I-MIRTHE REU inspires a new generation of engineering professionals to enter and remain in the STEM fields and conduct groundbreaking research and development to the benefit of society.
