2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Northeastern University has received funding from the division of Engineering Education and Centers (EEC) to establish a three-year REU site focusing on smart engineering for community college (CC) students. The REU Site hosts 10 CC students each year, during the summer session, to participate in research projects focusing on the field of Smart Engineering.
The REU site is guided by two of the grand challenges of the National Academy of Engineering: personalized learning and scientific discovery. Specifically, this project trains students on how to conduct cutting-edge research and communicate their research findings to the broader community. The project focuses on recruiting URM and students who are currently underrepresented in the STEM workforce. The outcome will be a better-trained, diverse scientific workforce, which will help deliver solutions that both benefit society and maintain the competitive edge of the United States in the global economy.
In addition to gaining research experience, REUs also receive training on teamwork and communication best practices through a suite of professional development opportunities. Field trips to local industry will provide students with first-hand exposure to the STEM workforce in action. These efforts are expected to yield a cohort of CC young researchers, many from underrepresented groups, who have a strong understanding of interdisciplinary team-based research.
The first year of operation of the REU site has concluded. The site team and the grant external evaluator have conducted their first formative evaluations to inform the program of what worked well and what needs adjustments and improvements.
The paper discusses the activities of the REU program in the first year. The paper also discusses the observations of students during the 10 weeks summer research program. The paper also discusses the various evaluation instruments that are used. These evaluations will improve and enhance the program in years 2 and 3 of the site operations.