Program Schedule

Overview of the program schedule

a. First day of the program: orientation, university and program presentation, administrative matters.

b. Second day: Safety lecture -2 hours & Professional Behavior lecture 2 hours+lab visits. Entry survey.

c. Third day: Professional Behavior lecture 2h & Dev. student/student & student/faculty interaction 2h.

d. First week at GSU: a rotation, with lab directors’ presentations, overviews of the research laboratories, projects and facilities, specific lab rules, meetings the research teams. The REU students will draw connections between projects, disciplines, and teams; helping to ensure the project they have chosen fits their interests and capabilities. End of week 1, REU students begin working in their chosen topic labs.

e. Week 2: in consultation with, and under supervision of the research faculty (lab director) and graduate student mentors, each REU student will finalize an individual draft research plan and project schedule, including milestones, reporting, and their expected contribution to their teams.

f. Weeks 2-10, the REU students will carry out research on individual projects and report with their team

g. Weekly REU team meetings will be held to discuss progress on various aspects of research projects. REU students will interact with PI and with graduate students and faculty leads in the meeting and regularly each week to augment their understanding of concepts and processes involved in specific projects. Bimonthly research reporting assembled in a final report in technical-journal format.

h. Week 5 milestone evaluation; midterm survey/ all REU students and their research teams.

i. Each week, faculty and tutors in each lab will provide REU students gradual training to develop technical skills, technical writing and scientific reporting and goal setting.

j. Weekly, throughout the summer program, REU students will make research-related field visits to research and industrial facilities (aerospace industries) in the region and participate during weekends in organized cultural activities. STEM Institute coordinator will be in charge with that.

k. Week 7 REU students will start working on their final paper and presentation.

l. Last week of the program, they will defend their research findings to their colleagues and faculty in the form of a PowerPoint presentation. Exit survey.