Research Experience for Undergraduates in Geo-Environmental Systems

University Of Oklahoma Norman Campus, Norman OK

Investigators

Abstract

9912319 Kolar Faculty from the School of Engineering and Environmental Science (CEES) at the University of Oklahoma has established an 8-week summer REU Site centered around the disciplines of geo-environmnetal engineering and science. The objective is to immerse 12 students per year in advanced research topics by providing them with meaningful projects that span all major steps of scientific inquiry: formulate questions, develop hypothesis, conduct literature reviews, set-up an experimental matrix, analyze and synthesize results, and prepare final reports (oral and written). Activities extend beyond the laboratory or field site, where REU students are members of a faculty/graduate student research tema, to include orientation seminars, hazardous waste and safety training, Friday luncheous devoted to research issues, pratice presenations and ethics, field trips to research facilities, and social functions. The vision of this REU Site is to creat an engaging atmosphere to motivate amd prepare undergraduate students to pursue advanced degrees in the critical areas of geo-environmental engineering and science. Such scientists and engineers are needed in consulting and industry in order to be good steweards of the natural and man-made environments, and they are needed in research labs and academia to further our understanding of geo-environmental systems.