Research Experience for Undergraduates at the University of Pittsburgh Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering

We have served as a National Science Foundation-supported Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site, which supports 15 summer interns, since the summer of 1994. Each year, several additional students, supported by other means including departmental support and REU supplements, were also incorporated into the program. Since inception, the retention has been 100%, as all the students who entered the program completed their internship. The program has maintained high academic standards as well as a high representation of minorities (29%) and females (47%) in the program. Student participants are followed post-program to provide documentation of their pursuit of advanced degrees, and career choices. A large proportion (70%) of the students in our program who have completed their undergraduate degree have entered graduate programs and medical schools. We have recruited heavily from a great number of colleges and universities in and around the Western Pennsylvania region, from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and enrolled a large number (46%) of outstanding students from primarily undergraduate institutions. National efforts should be directed to fund more of these programs and thus provide opportunities for a larger number of interested students to participate. Finally, the advisor selection process proved very effective. Out of a total of about 75 students enrolled in the program thus far, only one student was unsatisfied with the initial selection of a faculty mentor, this issue was identified and resolved in the first week by changing the advisor.