NSF REU Site: AERO-U: Aerospace Engineering Research Opportunities for Undergraduates

Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, College Station TX

Investigators

Abstract

Abstract for REU Site: AERO-U: Aerospace Engineering Research Opportunities for Undergraduates Institution: Texas Engineering Experiment Station Principal Investigator: Jacques Richard This REU award for a Site on computational and experimental plasma turbulence supports 8 students each year for three years in a 10-week summer research experience in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University (TAMU). The objectives of this REU site are: (1) to involve students in three key research areas; modeling plasmas, plasma turbulence and conducting related experiments; (2) encourage participation by underrepresented students; (3) provide information on graduate school and encourage application to graduate school in Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University; (4) provide community building among REU students, Texas A&M students, and faculty; and (5) provide opportunities for REU students to present and publish with faculty. Undergraduates will be recruited from universities around the nation that: (1) do not offer doctorates in the subject matter; (2) have large enrollments of students from groups that are underrepresented in related graduate programs; and (3) historically have not generated many applications to related doctoral programs. TAMU is one of three university teams with a $5 M Air Force funded Multi-University Research Initiative (MURI) on plasma turbulence with state-of-the-art experiments and novel models, making this a rare research experience for undergraduates.