PULLMAN, Wash. Nearly 50 undergraduates from across the country will present their summer research at the Washington State University Research Experience for Undergraduates Poster Session from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on August 5 in the atrium of the Smith Center for Undergraduate Education (CUE).Each of the students participated in one of six National Science Foundation-funded “Research Experience for Undergraduates” (REU) program or similar programs at WSU. The summer programs included Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, Chemistry, the Laboratory for Atmospheric Research (LAR), and Materials Science Engineering. REU-like research programs included Agriculture and Interdisciplinary Biochemistry.
The 2011 cohort, which included students from WSU and some from as far away as New York and Puerto Rico, spent the summer in Pullman conducting fulltime work as undergraduate researchers with WSU faculty mentors. They are a varied group with interests ranging from ceramic engineering to creative writing. The poster session is the culminating event for these students, who have been working for ten full weeks on faculty-mentored research.
“We have had the honor of working with a group of talented and ambitious students this summer,” said David Bahr, director of Undergraduate Research, a unit of the WSU Undergraduate College. Bahr is also a professor in materials science and engineering and coordinator of the Material Science and Engineering REU program.
“Many of these students have now conducted research at a graduate level before they have their degrees. That is something they and we are proud of.”
According to Bahr, more than $300,000 in federal grants was spent on the summer research programs.
“These summer programs have also been made possible through the faculty advisors, supervising students, graduate students and other WSU researchers who devoted their time and energy to this program.”
WSU Undergraduate Research has a mission to increase accessibility of undergraduate researchdefined as research, scholarship, and creative activities with a faculty mentorfor students from all majors and backgrounds through its programs. They include a university-wide undergraduate research symposium, one-week tutorial for new researchers, and a scholarship program in addition to the REUs.
To learn more about WSU Undergraduate Research, the REU programs, and the students, visit the website at UndergrateResearch.wsu.edu.