REU SITE: Collaborative Research: Integrated Academia-Industry Research Experience for Undergraduate in Smart Structure Technology (IAIRESST)

San Francisco State University, San Francisco CA

Investigators

Abstract

The San Francisco State University (SFSU) and the University of South Carolina (USC) will collaborate with industrial partners to provide a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site program entitled, Collaborative Research: Integrated Academia-Industry Research Experience for Undergraduate in Smart Structure Technology (IAIRESST),focusing on academia-industry collaborations in Smart Structures Technologies (SST). These technologies include innovative devices and techniques that make structures safer, less expensive to maintain, and able to provide additional services. This REU program will provide engineering undergraduate students a unique research experience in both academic and industrial settings through cooperative research projects. Experiencing research in both worlds is expected to help students transition from a relatively dependent status to an independent a status as their competence level increases. The model developed through this REU program may help to exemplify the establishment of a sustainable collaboration model between academia and industry that helps address the nation's need for mature, independent, informed, and globally competitive science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals and is adapted to other disciplines. With increasing demands for high performance in structural systems, SST including advanced sensing, modern control, smart materials, optimization and novel testing, is receiving considerable attention as it has the potential to transform many fields in engineering, including civil, mechanical, aerospace, and geotechnical engineering. Currently, there is a significant gap between the engineering science with fundamental research in academia and engineering practice with potential implementation in the industry. This REU program will train undergraduate students to serve as the catalysts to facilitate the research infusion between academic and industrial partners. This student-driven joint venture between academia and industry will establish a virtuous circle for knowledge exchange and contribute to advancing both fundamental research and implementation of SST. To achieve these, the program will feature: formal training, workshops, and supplemental activities in the conduct of research in academia and industry; innovative research experience through engagement in projects with scientific and practical merits in both academic and industrial environments; experience in conducting laboratory experiments; and opportunities to present the research outcomes to the broader community at professional settings. The joint efforts among two institutions and industry partners provide the project team with extensive access to valuable resources, such as expertise to offer a wider-range of informative training workshops, advanced equipment, valuable data sets, experienced undergraduate mentors, and professional connections, that will facilitate a meaningful REU experience. Recruitment of REU participants will target 20 collaborating minority and primarily undergraduate institutions (15 of them are Hispanic-Serving Institutions) with limited STEM research capabilities.