REU Site: Advancing Space Sciences through Undergraduate Research Experiences (ASSURE)

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

The Advancing Space Sciences through Undergraduate Research Experience (ASSURE) program at the University of California Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL) provides undergraduate students with an immersive experience in space science research and engineering. Students are exposed to a multidisciplinary research laboratory setting, conducting cutting edge research alongside leaders in the field. The ASSURE program actively recruits participants from community colleges and other institutions serving populations historically underrepresented in the space and geosciences with the aim of providing research experience early in their careers. The interdisciplinary approach taken in the program is reflective of the range of skills that students may eventually face in the workforce. The ASSURE program supports research projects relating to the development of spacecraft instrumentation and hardware, data analysis, and high-performance computing at the forefront of federally funded geospace research. Students involved in the program acquire experience required for design and management of experimental research programs and support a range of on-going geospace missions. The research staff at SSL is composed of a diverse international community working on a range of space physics missions in radio astronomy, magnetospheric physics, heliophysics, planetary science, high energy astrophysics, and maintains robust engineering facilities. The range of work at SSL provides ASSURE students with the opportunity to gain a comprehensive exposure to a range of geospace research, including space weather and other phenomena of national importance. The program includes a bootcamp to develop student skills early in the program, careful consideration to mentor matching, an independent project, and the opportunity to present research at a national conference. Students will be mentored on scientific communication including seminars, elevator pitches, and poster presentations. The program objectives are 1) to provide groups of underserved students (specifically community college and first-generation college students) with authentic research experiences, 2) provide students with access to research opportunities that are not otherwise available to them, and 3) prepare and support researchers in mentoring undergraduate research students. The program aims for students to 1) expand their perspectives on science research, 2) increase their understanding of research methodologies, 3) understand their specific research topic, 4) increase their professional networks, 5) improve their science communication skills, and 6) feel prepared to transfer to a four-year university. This site is supported by the Department of Defense in partnership with the NSF REU program. 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.