REU Site: Observing our world with light and sound

Montana State University, Bozeman MT

Investigators

Abstract

This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site program, hosted by the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department at Montana State University (MSU) and focusing on a central theme of "Observing Our World with Light and Sound", offers state-of-the-art, interdisciplinary research experiences spanning the applications of this theme, as well as the development of enabling technologies, to diverse and talented cohorts of undergraduates from institutions with limited or no research opportunities. The ECE Department's diverse activities provide research opportunities catering to a wide spectrum of backgrounds and interests. Moreover, the research experience will open students' eyes to the nature of research, its role in understanding our world, and engineering solutions to the problems that we face. The interdisciplinary nature of the research efforts will also help the students to see how various academic disciplines come together to solve important problems. The primary objectives of this REU site program are to provide each undergraduate participant with a ten-week intensive and immersive, research experience within a highly collegial environment of collaboration with faculty mentors and other students. The program focuses on the development of the technical skills and critical-thinking abilities of the participants and on their exposure to substantive, representative research activities aimed at developing and utilizing electromagnetic (including light) and sound-based observational tools and techniques for a diverse range of applications. In addition, research will include a number of supporting technologies which enable the development of novel sensors such as micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), lasers and photonics, nanotechnology, advanced image and signal processing, and machine learning. It will also emphasize development of the participants' technical communication abilities through several professional-development seminars and workshops and enhance their understanding of the ethical and societal context within which engineering research is performed. Industrial partners will be highlighted by including industrial researchers in the seminar series and including visits to local companies. The discoveries made during these collaborations will be communicated to the broader scientific community via publications and presentations. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.