2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The Effect on Students’ Attitudes toward Graduate Education and Transportation-related Fields in the Research for Inclusivity and Driving Equity (RIDE) REU Site

Improving upon inequities in transportation that disproportionately harm underserved groups is of paramount importance. In addition, incorporating underrepresented minority (URM) students into STEM research that improves the experiences of underserved communities is significant to their retention as well as education and career advancement [1]-[3]. In line with the National Science Foundation’s goal to support science and engineering research to promote the advancement of students [4], the Division of Engineering Education and Centers (EEC) funds the RIDE REU Site from 2022 - 2025.

The purpose of the RIDE REU Site is to provide undergraduate students with an immersive and interdisciplinary experience in community-engaged research focused on improving the transportation experience of underserved and underrepresented communities. In 2023 and 2024, the site recruited a diverse pool of 26 undergraduate students, including 15 women, 15 URM students, 4 first-year students, and 10 from no-or-low research institutions. The site also engaged students in interdisciplinary research projects in engineering, science, psychology, planning, and policy over the nine-week summer program. Students were assigned to research projects based on their backgrounds, interests, and the evolving research among faculty, graduate student mentors, and community patterns. Twelve faculty and 17 graduate student mentors helped to train and support students during the summer, whom they continue to maintain connections with and mentor beyond the summer. In addition, the RIDE site provided professional development and communication seminars on topics such as community-engaged research and ethical research practices and technical seminars to provide exposure to real-world transportation-related work as well as potential career paths in transportation.

To assess the RIDE REU Site’s effectiveness, we employed a survey and focus groups. Results from the descriptive analysis and focus groups provide evidence of the program’s influence on students’ attitudes toward enrolling in graduate school and pursuing transportation-related fields. Specifically, before the program, 40% of students indicated it was likely they would attend graduate school. This increased to 80% after the program. Regarding pursuing studies in transportation-related fields, the proportion of students who indicated it was “somewhat unlikely” decreased from 33% to 17%, while those who indicated “somewhat likely” increased from 17% to 25%. In addition, 90% of participants indicated they were “not at all knowledgeable” to “somewhat knowledgeable” about the research process before the program. However, after the program, 90% indicated they were knowledgeable about the research process. In the focus groups, one participant explained, “I had zero research experience coming here. I learned coding and how to set up interviews. It was very useful…” Others also said that the “hands-on approach” of the program facilitated their learning, and they enjoyed working in a setting where they could “make mistakes without worrying about grades.” This study contributes to the understanding of the effectiveness of multi-faceted research training programs on undergraduate education and career advancement and points to the importance of a mentoring framework for an inclusive research community.