REU Activities

REU Activities

Industry Tours: Periodically throughout the summer research assistants will have the opportunity to visit a relevant industrial laboratory or site. Tentative dates are provided in the schedule.

We went to visit Zoltek. They make the carbon-fiber reinforced plastic on which Ben, Elena, and Maren are working. Thanks to them for a tour of their plant.
We also visited some of the construction sites for the MetroLink light rail system here in St. Louis. We got to see how construction and existing traffic patterns and residences coexist.

Status Reports: Every 2 weeks a status report should be placed in your web folder and emailed to your research advisor. The status report should consist of about 100 words discussing your accomplishments to date toward your research project.

Engineering Ethics Discussions: Periodically throughout the summer a local engineering professional will meet with all REU students to discuss a specific ethical issue relevant to structural engineering. At least one of the sessions will focus on ethical issues in research.

Research Meetings: Every week one or more REU students will be asked to make a 20 minute presentation on his/her project. The presentation should include the goals of the project, as well as the most recent results available. Presentations will be video-taped, and suggestions will be provided for improving oral presentation skills.

Final Research Reports: Each researcher is required to submit a final research report by the last day of the program. The report should be 5-10 pages in length. The organization and scope of the report is to be decided between the researcher and advisor.

Washington University Undergraduate Research Symposium: This event will beheld on the last day of the program. Each researcher will give a formal 20 minute presentation on their research.