REUMass: A Summer Computing Research Experience for Undergraduates

University Of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst MA

Investigators

Abstract

The Department of Computer Science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is hosting REUMass: A Summer Computing Research Experience for Undergraduates under the direction of Professor W. Richards (Rick) Adrion and Project Manager Wendy Cooper. This Program is cooperating with the Commonwealth Alliance for Information Technology Education (CAITE) - a CISE Broadening Participation in Computing Alliance based at UMass Amherst - and other partners, including other NSF BPC Alliances, such as ACCESS, CRA/CDC, CCCE, NCWIT, ELA and Georgia Computes; NSF Broadening Participation Programs, including NE-LSAMP, UM-LSAMP, and NEAGEP; and other UMass Amherst REU Sites. The REUMass partners provide an opportunity to cast a wide net and bring a diverse set of students into positive research experiences that we hope will increase the number of students entering graduate programs and research careers, particularly those who previously would not have had that opportunity. REUMass students will have the opportunity to work with leading UMass Amherst researchers on important scientific problems. Our selected projects emphasize how fundamental computer science enables a broad set of IT applications. They show the breadth of opportunities in CS and have proved to be attractive to our target audience. Each spring 9 students will be invited for a 10-week summer program. They will be assigned in pairs or triples to a range of research projects within a number of disciplines - health, government, biosciences, transportation, society, education, etc. Students will participate in a number of technical activities including workshops, seminars, and field trips, and social activities that have proved successful in creating a close and sustained relationship among the participants in each year's cohort. Our commitment to continuously improving the Site programs helps REU students achieve success in their research and obtain a broader view of the challenges and rewards of computing research.