Undergraduate Research in CAMM:

There are two parts to the proposed effort. The first part involves a REU program to be undertaken during the summer quarter. This involves, as is customary, the attraction of undergraduates to participate in the research activities of the proposed center. Significant efforts will be made to recruit minority participants in this program. The second part of this program involves the development of asynchronous web-based teaching modules based on the computational models to be developed as part of the core activities of the proposed center. For example, a course in phase transformations will be developed incorporating virtual experiments of heat-treatment involving solutionizing, quenching and ageing to effect precipitation of second phases in a number of different alloy systems. It is believed that such realistic but virtual experiments will be extremely effective in the learning process. These modules are expected to have a significant impact in both undergraduate and graduate level courses.
Previous Success: There has moderate success in the pilot programs for both undergraduate and graduate students. Although few asynchronous teaching methods have been developed, undergraduate students have been hired at the Center as interns. In four cases, summer employment has been given to undergraduate students from other institutions (i.e., Cornell, Imperial College, London, and Birmingham, UK). Undergraduate students from the Center have been hired as summer interns at WPAFB. In addition, the industrial partnership program has provided internships to graduate students.