REU Site: Retaining Engineers through Research Entrepreneurship and Advanced Materials Training

Florida State University, Tallahassee FL

Investigators

Abstract

TECHNICAL SUMMARY: With the vital support of the Division of Engineering Education and Centers, the REU Site: Retaining Engineers through Research Entrepreneurship and Advanced-Materials Training will encourage undergraduate students to pursue graduate degrees in the STEM disciplines by training students in advanced materials with an entrepreneurial twist to show the potential rewards, both intellectually and financially, for pursuing STEM degrees. Eight projects involved in processing and applications of nanomaterials, and multiscale-multifunctional composite materials were selected to equip the students with knowledge in the synthesis and characterization of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and their utilization in manufacturing processes. Intellectual Merit: Through lab experience and targeted seminars, the students will gain more versatile, innovative and independent thinking in both engineering and business. The seminars will provide fundamental knowledge to assist in their research and include topics in Research Methods and Ethics, Health & Safety, Engineering Data Analysis, Experimental Design and using statistical software packages. Entrepreneurial component seminars on Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization, presented by the FSU College of Business Jim Moran Institute, will provide an understanding of the relevance of research innovations and graduate research degrees to the business environment. This will culminate with the EngiPreneur Competition where students will present their strategy for bringing their research to the marketplace. Broader Impacts: Over 10-weeks, the REU program will bridge the gap between materials engineering innovations and their market potential. The participants entering into the STEM fields and later the U.S. workforce will be better educated with the practical experience to take their innovations from the lab to the marketplace. NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: With the vital support of the Division of Engineering Education and Centers, researchers and business leaders from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, the High-Performance Materials Institute and the FSU College of Business Jim Moran Institute have established a 10-week opportunity to encourage undergraduate students, especially women and minorities, to pursue graduate degrees in the science, technology, engineering or math disciplines by training students in advanced materials with an entrepreneurial twist to show the potential rewards, both intellectually and financially, for pursuing these technically demanding degrees. The REU Site: Retaining Engineers through Research Entrepreneurship and Advanced-Materials Training will bridge the gap between materials engineering innovations and their market potential. Through the versatile training, lab experiences, interactions with business leaders and researchers from government and industry, the participants entering into the STEM fields and later the U.S. workforce will be better educated with the practical experience to make new discoveries and take their innovations from the lab to the marketplace.