REU Site: SENSORS--Design to Implementation

Abstract for REU Site: SENSORS-Design to Implementation Institution: Drexel University Principal Investigator: Caroline L. Schauer This REU award for a three year Site provides 10 undergraduate students with a rare research opportunity, exposing them to the entire exploration process of creating a viable sensor and sensor network for various real-life applications. Hands-on research activities, a multi-disciplinary working environment, systematic research education, strong industrial connections, and comprehensive ethics activities are designed to increase the participants knowledge and interest in research and sensor technology from design to implementation, as well as encourage them to consider careers in research and continuing study at the post-graduate level. SENSORS is a novel educational plan imbued with an ethics component to systematically establish the concept of performing research with hand-on experience across all aspects of the design to implementation spectrum. The findings of the SENSORS project will be disseminated broadly in the following ways: (1) PIs will present project results through presentations at a variety of international and national meetings and publications in international and national journals; (2) REU participants will present their research results to their peers at their home institutions; and (3) all SENSORS related information will be posted on the SENSORS website. This REU site will specifically target student participants who are juniors (rising seniors) who are in the process of pursuing science or engineering undergraduate degrees and have not necessarily decided to go to graduate school. Also, the majority of the faculty participants are themselves underrepresented individuals, which should create a strong mentor environment for the underrepresented REU participants.