Every summer season, ASPIRE hosts the Research Experience for Undergraduates program, the place college students from throughout the nation are invited to use to be paired with an ASPIRE school member and conduct analysis for two months throughout the summer season.
“Through the REU program, more motivated undergraduate students outside ASPIRE campuses can be introduced to exciting and broad activities about electrifying roadways, especially fundamental sciences and technology development related to high-power, fast EV charging,” stated Hailei Wang, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Utah State University who participated as a college member for the first time this 12 months.
This program opens doorways for non-ASPIRE college students to proceed increasing their data and experience throughout the summer season season.
“Undergraduate students commonly face challenges in obtaining high-quality and cutting-edge research experiences during summer, especially for community college students,” stated USU Electrical and Computer Engineering professor Hongjie Wang, an skilled REU mentor. “These opportunities prove that ASPIRE is providing new opportunities that facilitate the undergraduate students to develop their research skills, learn the cutting-edge research in electrified transportation related fields, build their career development paths, and be prepared as the future engineering workforce to carry on and advance the new technologies.”
Electrical engineering pupil and REU participant Asher Arshia Shams skilled this, appreciating this expertise to work alongside skilled mentors on electrification-related analysis.
“ASPIRE provides valuable experiences for students in STEM by making research opportunities more available for emerging scientists and engineers,” Shams stated.
A “One-of-a-Kind” Experience
Faculty mentor Mario Harper, a USU professor of electrical and computer engineering, agreed, stating that the program offers a “one-of-a-kind” experience.
“Only a few places in the country have the kind of technology that ASPIRE has,” Harper said. “We want to give other students a chance to experience these innovations.”
These analysis alternatives enable college students to discover new disciplines and campuses, which inspired political science pupil Scott Nguy to take part.
“I wanted to explore another college campus in a different state while furthering my education for my career,” Nguy stated. “The experience has been life-changing since I became interested in transportation and self-sufficiency in all aspects from advanced building to electrification in transportation mobility.”
Because this can be a research-based program, it affords a really distinctive alternative for college students.
“I have studied abroad, I have interned abroad, and this experience has been very different — unlike any experience I’ve ever had,” stated REU participant Angel Antayhua-Reynoso. “I had never really experienced the academic side of research and development. This experience made me more open-minded and passionate about research.”
As college students uncover the pleasure of analysis, their future choices are expanded as they discover new educational potentialities.
“As a rising sophomore studying engineering, I saw the REU program as a great opportunity to explore different academic fields and career paths,” stated mechanical engineering pupil Sofiia Goncharuk. “Before the program I was 100% confident that I wouldn’t go to grad school and would work in industry my entire life, but doing actual research changed my mind.”
Gaining Hands-On Skills
Applicable expertise are developed as college students like pc science main Aaron Paddy uncover how their majors may be utilized to real-world challenges. He stated the REU program helps individuals to “grow both technically and professionally.”
“I’ve gained hands-on experience with simulation tools, deepened by understanding of smart infrastructure, and improved my communication and collaboration skills,” Paddy stated. “More importantly, it’s sparked a stronger interest in research, which I had never seriously considered before this experience.”
Ava Watson, a political science main, has additionally appreciated the alternative to higher perceive how a graduate faculty can slot in her future.
“This opportunity has been invaluable in teaching me the necessary steps of research and further planning for graduate school,” Watson stated. “ASPIRE has given me insight into the process of pursuing graduate school, specifically a Ph.D.”
Graduate faculty is one among many alternatives for college students to construct on expertise gained in the two months spent on this program.
“I wish they could be here longer,” stated school mentor and USU Transportation professor Sarah Grajdura. “But I think it gives them a good place to jump off from for further research, or if we want to continue working together, we can write a publication together and explore other similar options.”
The choice to publish is a profit that one among Wang’s previous REU college students was in a position to benefit from, as Wang stated his pupil “published his first paper in his life in a journal with the work he accomplished during the REU program.”
At the finish of the program, college students participated in a digital analysis symposium, the place they offered their analysis to ASPIRE school, employees and college students from throughout the middle’s 10 campuses.
“The research symposium shows the growth and the research these students have worked hard on,” stated Brandon Allen, a co-director of Electrification Workforce Development at ASPIRE, who additionally runs the REU program. “It’s also an opportunity to showcase the growth in what ASPIRE is doing.”
For college students excited by collaborating in the REU program or ASPIRE school excited by turning into school mentors, please attain out to Melanie Conrad for particulars.