IRES: An Integrative Undergraduate Research Experience II

University Of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

In this International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) program at the University of Pittsburgh (UP) under the direction of Prof. Larry Shuman, U.S. graduate and undergraduate students will participate in collaborative research projects in Brazil with the research groups of Dr. Maristela Gomes Da Silva at Universidade Federal do Espirito Santo (UFES), Dr. Vanessa Gomes Da Silva at Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), and Dr. Khosrow Ghavami at Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio). The U.S. students will explore sustainable community development and quantifying sustainability efforts using Life Cycle Analysis. A total of eight students per year for three years will participate in a 12-week summer research program with a research team consisting of UP faculty, two or more UP graduate IGERT fellows, Brazilian undergraduate students, and faculty from UNICAMP, UFES and PUC-Rio (all in Brazil). Specific design problems focus on evaluating sustainable building materials, renewable energy and energy efficiency. The PIs will build on their previous work with their Integrative international Research Experience Program (IIREP), expanding from one to three international partners and linking this project with an IGERT award in Sustainability. A great strength of this program is its integration into a variety of ongoing research and education collaborations between UP and the Brazilian partner institutions (an IGERT program, the previous IRES, and a FIPSE-CAPES grant from the US Department of Education and the Brazilian Ministry of Education). Included in the program is a four week course in the US in which students will learn Portuguese, receiving training in Brazilian culture and specific research tools, and build relationships with their Brazilian team members. Design teams made up of students and faculty from a variety of backgrounds and the potential for student-faculty interactions (from US and Brazil) are integral parts of the IRES program. The program PIs have well established relationships and a history of collaboration at the site, which will ensure that details of housing, safety and cultural competency are adequately addressed. In addition, the PIs have laid out a clear strategy to achieve and assess their program outcomes. This award is co-funded by the Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE) and the Division of Engineering Education and Centers (EEC) within the Engineering Directorate.