On providing successful Research Experiences for Undergraduates

This paper presents strategies for providing successful Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU). The authors have advised several undergraduates on research for the past few years, and have jointly supervised around twenty-five students, over two summers, on a project funded by an NSF-funded REU program in areas relating to the visualization of astrophysical data using high performance file systems. Several of these student projects have led to research publications. The paper briefly motivates the need for research in modern computing and engineering education. It then presents specific details about the development of summer REU programs including how to: secure funding and institutional support; plan a summer program including the design of scalable research projects; develop strategies to advertise and recruit students, especially from underrepresented groups; create a dynamic research and social environment through one-on-one mentoring; develop appropriate assessment and evaluation processes; and track student participants after they graduate from the program.