Undergraduate Research
Nancy M. Amato and Chinwe Ekenna
Parasol Lab, Dept. of Computer Science & Engineering
Texas A&M University
http://parasol.tamu.edu
What is Undergraduate Research
Undergraduate research is defined as the inquiry or investigation
conducted by an undergraduate in collaboration with a faculty
mentor that makes an original intellectual or creative contribution
to the discipline.
...The Council for Undergraduate Research
My Experiences with Ugrad Researchers
I have a large & active research group
Graduated 17 PhDs
7 in Academia (WUSTL, Iowa State, GMU, UNM,
Sewanee, ITAM, UNAM)
8 in research labs (IBM, Google, LLNL, NRL)
2 in gaming startup
2 postdocs
–15 Current PhD students
–MS advising (15 graduated, 3 current
•
100+ ugrads have worked with my group in last 20+ years
– 5+ current BS students
–About half in summer programs, half during academic year
–More than half have published
–Most have gone on to grad school, some at Texas A&M, others
at Berkeley, Stanford, CMU, UIUC, etc.
recipients of grad fellowships such as NSF, DOE HPC, etc
•
They have been a great addition to the group
–it’s more fun, the grad students get advising experience, etc.
And recently, high school students
Summer 2012, I had two high school students
for the first time – WOW!
Kensen Shi, rising senior at A&M
Consolidated High School
Won 2012 Siemens Competition in
Math, Science & Technology, including
$100K college scholarship,
authored paper published in IEEE ICRA
2013 (trip to Germany with minor!), and
one accepted for ICRA 2014 (Hong
Kong!).
Sophomore at Stanford.
Daniel Latypov, rising senior at the
Woodlands High School
Now junior at TAMU working in my lab
and has paper at ICRA 2014 in Hong
Kong
We had 7 high schoolers this past summer
it’s fun, the ugrads get advising experience
Why You Should Consider Research
1)
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5)
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9)
Course Credit – use as technical elective
$$ - yes, you can be paid to do research!
See if you like it – grad school
Resume adornment
Get to know professor well (letters…..)
Make new friends (grow your network)
You can have an office!
Travel to exotic places
But most importantly….. It is FUN & EXCITING
Undergraduate Research vs Classes
•
How undergrad research is different from traditional classes
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Gathering and creating new knowledge
Experience active vs. passive learning
Exploring new ways of thinking and entering your field's professional
dialogue
How undergrad research is similar to traditional classes
•
•
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Teamwork
Discipline/ diligence
Deadlines
Identifying a research topic/project
Questions to think about
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Which subject areas most interest you?
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Which topics in your classes interest you?
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Do you like theoretical or more practical things?
•
Do you have a specific project in mind or do you want
to acquire a set of skills?
Remember:
•
You need to be very excited about working on a research
project, don't do it just to build your resume or earn
academic credit.
Finding Research Opportunities
• Talk to your EH Advisor/Department Coordinators
• Tell them your interests and ask their help in identifying faculty
• Contact professors and ask to visit with them and their
research groups
• Do your homework first! Visit their webpages, scan/read their
papers, etc.
• Ask if they have opportunities for undergrads (don’t start off
asking about money!)
• Continue a project that you start in a class
• Sigma Xi sponsors undergraduate research fair each fall
10
Texas A&M Ugrad Research Programs
• URS – Undergraduate Research Scholars Program
• Two semester (fall/spring) program that guides you through
writing a thesis
• Some EH Department Tracks require students to participate in
this
• Most students do this their junior (recommended) year, but
students can participate in the sophomore or senior year
• Department or College Summer Research Programs
• USRG – Engineering-wide summer program (more later!)
• Texas A&M Student Research Week
• March of each year
• Undergrads and graduate students present their work
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Logistics: location, stipends, etc.
•
Summer research
• At your home institution or other universities
• Stipends often range from $350 to $700 per week
• Housing and meals
•Often included, but expect the stipend to be a bit lower
•Sometimes not included, but then expect the stipend to be a bit
higher
• Transportation subsidy
•Sometimes provided if you need to temporarily relocate
•
Academic year research opportunities
• At your home institution (Texas A&M..)
• Might provide a stipend (typically an hourly amount)
• Often provide academic credit
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Resources
• CRA-E Conquer Site:
• This site provides resources for undergraduate
students, interested in research, graduate school, and
research careers in computer science. It also provides
resources for faculty mentors, looking to engage and
advise undergraduates in research and prepare them for
graduate school in computing fields.
• http://conquer.cra.org/
• NSF REU Site Listing
• http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/reu_search.jsp
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Texas A&M Programs – Summer 2016
Undergraduate Summer
Research Grant (USRG)
Program
All engineering majors (including
computer science) and related
math/sciences (e.g. physics,
biology)
Applications due Feb 8, 2016
Matthew Pariyothorn
USRG@tamu.edu
CSCE [at] TAMU REU
Summer Program
Computer Science, Computer
Engineering
Theresa Roberts
theresa@cse.tamu.edu
Transportation Scholars
Program
Engineering (civil/transportation
engineering interest)
Dr. Gene Hawkins
ugtsp@civil.tamu.edu
Texas A&M Transportation All majors are welcome
Institute (TTI) - Advancing
Transportation Leadership
and Safety Center
(ATLAS) Summer
Internship Program
Laura Higgins
l-higgins@tti.tamu.edu
Texas A&M Transportation All engineering majors
Institute (TTI) - University
Transportation Center for
Railway Safety (UTCRS)
Amy White
awhite@ttimail.tamu.edurailwaysafe
ty@utrgv.edu
Texas A&M Programs – Summer 2016
Title/Research Program
Majors
Contact Information
Multifunctional Materials
Those interested in materials science and
engineering-related research
Dr. Ibrahim
Karamanikaraman@ta
mu.edu
AERO-U: Aeropropulsion/fluid physics
All engineering majors (including computer
science), math, physics and other physical
sciences
Dr. Jacques Richard
richard@tamu.edu
Texas Center for
Undergraduate Research
in Energy and
Combustion
Aerospace Engineering, Chemical
Engineering, Mechanical Engineering,
Materials Science & Engineering
Dr. Eric Petersen
epetersen@tamu.edu
Interdisciplinary Research
Experiences in
Mechatronics, Robotics
and Automated System
Design
Mechanical Engineering, Electrical
Engineering, Computer Engineering,
Computer Science, Manufacturing
Engineering, Engineering Technology
Dr. Sheng-Jen "Tony"
Hsieh hsieh@tamu.ed
u
Now for our Panel!
http://parasol.tamu.edu
Outline
• Undergraduate Research Basics
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Nancy Amato and Jennifer Welch
Why would you want to do it?
Nuts & Bolts
Opportunities & Resources
• A few thoughts (and Q&A with) from current and
former ugrad researchers
• Brennen Taylor and Jory Denny
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Texas A&M Summer Research Programs
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CSE @ Texas A&M
College USRG
(undergraduate summer
research grant)
Time
May 31 – August 5, 2016
(10 weeks)
May 31 – August 5, 2016
(10 weeks)
Stipend per student
CSE @ Texas A&M:
depends on professor
$5,000 stipend, housing or
housing allowance, and
actual travel expenses up
to $400
deadline
February 1, 2016
February 1, 2016
Application
Students apply online at
https://apply2.cse.tamu.ed
u/gts/applicant/reu/
Students apply online at
http://apply2.tamu.edu/reu/
usrg
CDC/CRA-W Research Programs
(http://cra-w.org/)
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CREU
DREU
Time
Academic year (10-15
hrs/week)
plus optional summer
(10 weeks)
Summer (10 weeks)
Stipend per student
$1500 per semester,
$4000 summer
$7000,
relocation travel
assistance
Deadline
May 18, 2016
Feb 15, 2016
Location
Home institution
Mentor’s institution
Application
Students and mentors
submit a proposal to
work together the
following year
(Due early to mid
May)
Students and mentors
apply separately and
are matched by the
program (Due mid
February)