An REU Site Program is proposed that will offer a wide variety of opportunities of approximately 10 students to perform research on a broad range of mechanical engineering topics during a 9-week summer period. National advertising of the program and selection procedures to be used as an integral part of the program will maximize the possibility of attracting top students nationally, including students who are women, handicapped, members of minority groups. Students selected for the program will have the opportunity of choosing a summer project from a wide range of topics that encompass virtually the complete realm of mechanical engineering. Specific topics are scheduled to be directed by faculty members with a specialty in that specific areas and who are active in research in those topics. The students will be encouraged to enroll in an optional credit course for their work. Supplemental programs, such as fundamentals of shop practice, instrumentation, and computer and computer graphics use, will be available to participants who do not have that background. An integral thrust of the program is a seminar series that includes the students presentation of their research plans (after approximately one week on the program) and their results (at the end of the program). A formal written report will be required of each student summarizing their efforts. In all cases, attempts will be made to have the students work publishable in the technical press. Based on past experience with similar programs, it is anticipated some of the student work will, in fact, be publishable and that a large number of these students will go on to graduate school. Research areas involve engineering design, control theory, fluid mechanics, heat transfer applied mechanics of composite and manufacturing.
