This three year REU Site at Northwestern University on Infrastructure Innovation is designed to attract native born or permanent residence students to research careers in this area within Civil Engineering and to nudge participants toward independent research. Student interaction is maintained by twice a week orientation meetings which address research skills common to all work, as well as informal chats with the REU professors to convey the excitement of a research career. Research results are presented both orally and in a report of sufficient quality for publication to ensure training in technical communication. As an important addition, a new initiative will be undertaken to develop a program for local industry to employ REU fellows for four additional weeks in research/development positions. Post REU completion industrial placement will be increased each year with a goal of 100% placement during the third year.
