Student Travel to the Cornell, Maryland, Max Planck Pre-Doctoral Research School

University Of Maryland, College Park, College Park MD

Investigators

Abstract

Far too many talented students are not pursuing graduate school, or a career in higher education and research. We believe this is because students do not understand what to expect in graduate school, or what such a career entails. To address this problem, University of Maryland, in collaboration with faculty at Cornell University and the Max Planck Society in Germany are starting a series of research summer schools. The goal of the school is to introduce world-class research to top quality students, and engage them, one-on-one and in small groups, with leading researchers in the field. This proposal seeks funding for approximately 25 students from the United States to attend the first iteration of the school, which will be held on the premises of the Max Planck Institute for Software Systems, in Saarbruecken Germany, from August 8-13th, 2017. Students have applied online, and are evaluated based on grades, a statement and recommendation letters. Our central thesis is that short, hands-on experience with leaders from a wide range of interesting areas of Computer Science will effectively entice many undergraduates to commit to longer-term Research Experience for Undergraduates (REUs), graduate school, and ultimately careers in research. To evaluate this, we will track participants' progress and trajectory, both during and after the research school, using questionnaires, one-on-one advising sessions, and post-school research projects. The research school is designed around the belief that exposing students, especially women and minorities, to the breadth and diversity of Computer Science research, especially early in their careers, will make them more likely to pursue REUs and, eventually, careers in research. Being exposed to high quality research and being able to work with leaders in their fields will make the option of a research career "real", and have a transformative impact for the positive in the attendee's academic careers.