Workshop: Assisting and Encouraging Student Opportunities for Post-undergraduate Study (AESOPS)

Bucknell University, Lewisburg PA

Investigators

Abstract

CMS-0224683 PI: P. Aarne Vesilind Institution: Bucknell University Title: "Assisting and Encouraging Student Opportunities for Post-undergraduate Study (AESOPS)" Abstract: Engineering schools at research universities have for many years relied on non-residents to fill the ranks of its graduate students because most qualified American engineering graduates choose not to go to graduate school. Even with a large influx of international students, many engineering faculty have difficulty recruiting qualified graduate students to assist with NSF-sponsored research. Recently, international tensions and security concerns have created increased difficulties in recruiting non-residents to American graduate schools. This workshop is directed toward increasing the number of qualified US citizens and residents who chose to pursue graduate studies. Specifically the workshop discussion will concern students who attend engineering schools which do not have a Ph.D. program. Excellent students graduating from non-PhD-granting engineering colleges often do not consider graduate school because there is no "presence" of a research program and no (or few) graduate students at their institution. These engineering graduates are often not aware of the graduate school option, and they are often discouraged from going on to graduate school. These students appear to be an untapped resource of advanced-level engineering manpower. This workshop comprises Phase I of a project to encourage and assist engineering graduates from non-PhD-granting engineering schools to apply to and enroll in graduate programs in research universities. The workshop participants will be drawn from both Ph.D. granting and non-Ph.D. granting Institutions and will include engineering researchers, administrators and teachers. The participants will identify the sources of the problem and recommend several methods of addressing these problems. The end product of this workshop will be a report disseminated to engineering deans. A formal proposal to the National Science Foundation for initiating a prototype study (Phase II) incorporating some or all of the workshop recommendations will follow.