ITI in First Year of NSF Grant as "Research Experiences for Undergraduates" (REU) Site

October 15, 2009

The Information Trust Institute (ITI) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has received a $357,000 award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to create a “Research Experiences for Undergraduates” (REU) site.

Through the REU program, undergraduate students, often relegated to performing classroom work only, have the opportunity to be involved in hands-on research in actual, ongoing, NSF-funded research programs. The funding is enabling ITI to host undergraduate student interns for three summers, beginning in the summer of 2009, when the new award supported 11 students in ITI’s annual summer internship program. The program funds, which support students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, provide special academic programs to enrich the students’ experiences and partially cover students’ travel expenses and summer housing costs.

Participating students work with faculty mentors on topics of mutual interest, contributing to real-world research projects. They also attend weekly technical seminars, sessions on ethics and professional standards in engineering research, and take part in special events which provide information regarding graduate school and engineering career paths.

The co-leaders of the Information Trust Institute’s REU site are Michael C. Loui, a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Illinois and noted authority on computational complexity theory and ethics in engineering and Dr. Masooda Bashir, ITI’s Assistant Director for Social Trust Initiatives.

The application process for the summer of 2010 is expected to open the first week of January 2010.
More: Funded, REU, Summer Research, Undergrad