Nsf Reu Site Program In Membrane Applied Science And Technology

The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site program is one of the oldest and most successful NSF initiatives. Active research experience is an effective way to encourage qualified undergraduates to undertake graduate studies. This paper describes a very successful multidisciplinary REU Site program at the University of Cincinnati (UC) whose focus is membrane science and technology. During its first two years, this program received 214 applications, made 24 awards, and involved 19 faculty drawn from nine departments and programs spanning four colleges; 50% of the awards were to women and 25% to underrepresented minorities; none of the awardees were UC students. This paper describes the administration, financial provisions, planning, and components of this ten-week summer program. Emphasis is placed on the uncommon features of this REU program that include the following: linkage to the NSF I/U CRC for Membrane Applied Science and Technology (MAST) and NSF Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program; inclusion of freshman and nonengineering students; effective inter-college participation; strong ethics component; timely program evaluation; technical papers competition; and financial support to present a subsequent paper at a regional or national meeting. Metrics of the program’s effectiveness along with student evaluations and comments on the program are also given.