REU Site: EURECA: Extensible Undergraduate Research Experience in Communication Applications

University Of Texas At Austin, Austin TX

Investigators

Abstract

This project renews an exemplary existing Research Experience for Undergraduates site focused on the areas of networking and communications. The project engages students in a wide range of projects in wireless networking lead by a team of faculty mentors. A key component of every research project is its extensibility providing students with the capacity to build on knowledge provided to them by their mentor and to generate independent results, and to sustain this effort after returning to their parent institutions. A nationwide recruitment process is used to select cohorts of undergraduate students to participate in a nine-week summer research program at the host institution. Particular emphasis is placed on recruitment of students from under-represented populations. The project includes technical seminars and workshops, student presentations, and field trips and other professional development opportunities. Intellectual Merit: The intellectual merit of this project lies in strong research basis and the expertise of the faculty. The projects are in current research areas that are of interest to the community at large and that have clear practical applications. The research projects are created as a focused plan to guide the students from a passive learning state to the state of being active self-sustaining researchers. Broader Impact: The broader impacts of the project include providing a quality research experience to undergraduate students, particularly students from underrepresented groups. The participating faculty members are committed to including under-represented minority students in their research. Thus this project has the potential to produce new computer science graduate students and faculty members and to advance discovery and understanding while promoting learning.