2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Mentored undergraduate research experiences offer a unique venue for STEM students to collaborate closely with faculty members while also developing problem-solving skills and a sense of connection to the broader engineering and science community. Early exposure to research experiences has been shown to increase student retention, self-efficacy, and persistence in STEM fields. However, many first- and second-year students remain unaware of these opportunities or are unsure how to get involved.

To address this challenge, we created a Research Fellows program at our small, STEM-focused undergraduate institution that provides a pathway for involving more first- and second-year students in research and helps set students up for success in their projects. The Research Fellows program spans a full academic year, starting with a 1-credit course in the fall term that introduces the process of research and aids in matching with a faculty member for a mentored research experience. Students start their research experience in the winter term while also taking a 1-credit course on research communication. They continue their research projects into the spring term and present their results at a poster session at the end of the academic year. The program also aims to foster a sense of community in student researchers through networking events, speakers, and peer mentorship opportunities.

In this paper, we will discuss the Research Fellows program structure, learning outcomes, and course development, with an emphasis on applicability for engineering programs and comparison to existing models for first-year research programs. We will also present assessment results from the initial two years of the program based on course evaluations, interviews with participants in the program, and faculty mentor surveys. Our student interviews were designed to explore whether the program helped reduce barriers to research at our institution, allowed students to develop research skills, and aided students in developing a sense of identity as a researcher. Faculty surveys focused on whether faculty mentors felt the students were adequately prepared for their research experience and actively engaging with their project, as well as their perceived value of the program for recruiting and retaining undergraduate researchers. Preliminary results from course evaluations, student interviews, and faculty surveys indicate that the program helped students gain confidence and foundational research skills, appreciate the value of structured mentorship, and develop a stronger sense of belonging to a research community.

The lessons learned from our Research Fellows program can be applied at other undergraduate institutions interested in incorporating mentored undergraduate research in engineering early in the college experience.