EDUCATIONAL AND RESEARCH TRAINING COLLABORATIVE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT FOR NATIONAL DEFENSE
Abstract
The project will create a unique program of long-term mentored research experiences for undergraduate students at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) in order to prepare and engage students for technical careers in the interest of national defense. We will recruit academically talented students, prioritizing student veterans, interested in majoring in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) areas. Students will form academic cohorts and engage in multi-part experiential research training with a focus on DoD priorities as part of the proposed program. We propose to match students with academic mentors engaged in research of relevance to DoD modernization priorities for three years of individualized mentorship. In addition, students will participate in summer workshops and activities with the goal of building a student community and increasing their sense of ownership of their research. Within the cohort forming activities, the students will participate in the co-Laboratory, a summer bridge program that will provide an introduction to the research process, and the Problem Solvers Summer Institute for Defense, where our students will work within teams to become familiar with some of the most pressing scientific and technical problems facing the DoD. The capstone of the program will be placement of selected students in DoD laboratory internships for 10 weeks between their junior and senior years. We will examine the impact of our program on the students’ GPA, time-to-graduation, and most importantly, choice of STEM careers or post-graduate school with the help of an experienced evaluator that will perform both formative and summative evaluations. Finally, we propose a UIC DoD Day to bring together UIC students and faculty with scientists at DoD Laboratories to foster collaboration and stronger interactions between the institutions. In the setting of a large, diverse public Research I institution, we lay out a blueprint to bring together UIC students and faculty in scientific and technical disciplines with DoD Lab scientists to create a sustainable network for the future.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jul 09, 2021
- Source ID
- HQ00342010037
Entities
People
- Russell J. Hemley
Organizations
- Office of the Secretary of Defense
- University of Illinois at Chicago
- Washington Headquarters Services