REU: Research Experience for Undergraduates in Micro Mechatronics and Smart Structural Systems

at the Missouri University of Science & Technology, Intelligent Systems Center

NSF-REU, sponsored by the National Science Foundation

Grant Award No. EEC-0139117

Principal Investigator: K. Krishnamurthy

Co-Principal Investigator: Scott Smith

Goals of Program:

• Introduce micro mechatronics and smart structures to junior/senior undergraduate students.
• Provide collaborative project-based research experience. Provide hands-on experience in a multidisciplinary atmosphere.
• Involve undergraduate students in research in emerging fields and to motivate them to attend a graduate school of their choice.
• Provide a unique opportunity for undergraduate students from schools outside the host institution to conduct research on projects specially designed for REU participants in state-of-the-art laboratories.

Nature of Student Activities:

• Introduction of the basic concepts in the form of review sessions and laboratory experiments to become familiar with testing equipment during the first week of the program.
• A brief description of the proposed projects will be provided to all participants before the program begins. The scope of the project and the theoretical background required for each project will be clearly indicated to the students. The students will have an opportunity to discuss these projects individually with the faculty members before the program begins.
• Pairing of two undergraduate students from different disciplines for conducting the research.
• A faculty member will be advising each team for a direct one-on-one relationship. In addition to the faculty advisor, a graduate student will be assigned as a mentor for each team. Pairing undergraduate students with graduate students helps in solving day-to-day problems in the laboratory.
• The faculty members will offer review sessions on selected topics based on the requirements of the projects. The students who need help in those topics will attend the review sessions.
• The graduate student mentors will meet with their project teams every day to address problems and provide guidance for successful completion of the project. The faculty members will also meet individual teams twice a week and will be available for consultation on a need basis.
• All the REU participants will be working in the same building and will have an informal opportunity for student-student communications.
• An informal weekly meeting of all the participants is arranged for discussing general issues regarding the laboratory facilities, campus life, social events, and field trips.
• In order to provide relevance to practical applications, guest lectures and industrial site visits will be arranged.
• The undergraduate students will prepare a written final report and present orally the results of the research project to the entire group and associated graduate students and faculty members. The staff of ‘Center for Writing Technologies’ at MS&T will provide a special presentation on ‘effective technical writing.’
• The students will demonstrate their design projects in the laboratory for the benefit of all the program participants.

Special Seminars and Field Trips:

• On-going research projects in mechatronics, MEMS, and smart structures
• Nanotechnologies
• Engineering ethics and professional responsibility
• Information on Graduate Programs
• NSF Graduate Fellowship program
• Application of smart structures and mechatronics at Boeing/Caterpillar/Emerson Electric Company
• Effective technical writing by the Center for Writing Technologies

Projects:

2006 REU Projects

2005 REU Projects

2004 REU Projects

2003 REU Projects

2002 REU Projects

Links:

• Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Missouri University of Science &Technology
• National Science Foundation-Research Experience for Undergraduates
• Chamber of Commerce of Rolla (tourism)
• Writing Center @MS&T