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STEM Summer Bridge

Undergraduates get hands-on research experience

The COSAM Office of Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity joined forces with the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering’s Academic Excellence Program (AEP) to host 10 undergraduate students from across the Southeast this summer as part of the Collaborative Approaches Among Scientists and Engineers (CASE) Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) program. The students, who are all from groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM, are majoring in disciplines including chemistry, biology, physics, geoscience, and all branches of engineering at their home institutions. During the program, they spent 10 weeks on the Plains, where they were matched with mentors in research fields that span a range of topics.

Kimberly Mulligan, director of COSAM’s Office of Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity, said the aim of the program is to introduce undergraduates to research while encouraging them to further their studies in STEM fields with master’s and doctoral degrees.

“The primary goal is for these students to continue on to obtain a graduate degree in a STEM field and hopefully their experience this summer will lead them to consider Auburn when the time comes,” Mulligan said.

“However, we are taking the long view and even if they don’t choose us for graduate school, maybe one day we will have the opportunity to recruit them as postdocs or faculty.”

As a graduate from STEM programs herself, Mulligan knows well that oftentimes students who are interested in math or science are told to become doctors or engineers. But, there are many more career choices for students.

“No matter what you’re passionate about, there are ways it’s connected to STEM. One of the things  that’s most important is exposing students to the breadth and depth of career opportunities that are available in these fields,” she said.

“We have to do a better job of opening student’s eyes to the possibilities and giving them opportunities they didn’t know were available.”

Mulligan said that as part of the program, participants took part in weekly professional development sessions as well as online discussions, including one titled “Starting With Your Why.”

Those discussions pushed the students to remember why they joined the REU program and helped them focus on what they wanted to get out of their participation.

“Unlike many single-research focused REUs, this REU’s uniqueness lies in that research topics span the STEM spectrum,” Mulligan said. “The nature of the interdisciplinary STEM research community fosters a rich exchange of ideas among the participants and an opportunity to better understand how disciplines converge to problem solve.”

Participants are also provided opportunities to engage with STEM professionals across the campus and around the country through face-to-face and virtual video conferencing.

As emerging professionals, participants continuously share their research work with a multiplicity of audiences. The REU’s

Research Symposium provides participants with an opportunity to publicly share their work with an interdisciplinary audience. Cordelia Brown, director of Auburn’s Engineering Academic Excellence Program, said it is critical for the participants to continue to explore their research interests while also exploring career opportunities and possibilities. The REU is designed with academic and career strategic planning sessions to assist participants with their research and career pursuits.

Akilah Alwan, REU participant and undergraduate student at the University of South Carolina, said she wants to be an example to minority children that they, too, can succeed in their chosen field.

“I’ve sat in the middle seat of the front row of class for as long as I can remember. My first class of freshman year was no different, or so I thought. When I turned around in my Marine Science 101 class, I saw not a single person who looked like me,” she said. “It did not take me long to realize that I am one of fewer than maybe seven people of color within our entire department.”

She said her experience as an undergraduate has almost served as a case study for her own research.

“All the statistics point to me dropping out or leaving the major, but that’s not an option for me,” Alwan said. “Instead, I have worked my hardest to ensure that no little black girl with a perfect puffball who loves playing in marsh mud or a fuzzy headed black boy with a large collection of obscure rocks feels out of place in the field that they love. I want to show those kids that if I can do it, they can do it, too.”

The students in the program worked alongside faculty mentors to conduct research that pertained to their undergraduate studies. Jayla Bell, a student from Spelman College, worked on interfacing a headset that can record electrical activities on the brain to a machine for the purpose of mental control of cyberphysical systems. For example, flying a drone with the brain as the physical controller.

“I applied to the program in the hopes of being afforded the opportunity to network with profound individuals, professors and professionals in Alabama, and to be introduced to critical knowledge and experiences that will propel me on my trajectory as a budding scholar,” Bell said. “Also, I hope that the knowledge that I was introduced to and the skills that I developed from this experience will give me the necessary tools to create a foundation for me to construct not only equitable work, but work that is ground-breaking and revolutionary.”

Kai Cobb, a student from Claflin University, said the program was a perfect fit for her research interests, and the experience introduced her to computing techniques that will help her be a more competitive applicant when it’s time to apply to graduate schools.

“I want to get my master’s degree in biostatistics and merge my interests in public health and biostatistics to aid in global health research,” Cobb said.

Mulligan said this program is one part of Auburn’s overall commitment to inclusion and diversity.

“Growing up, I really loved science and I still get excited about new discoveries, but what I’m most passionate about is getting other people excited about science, and making sure that no one feels a career in STEM is out of their reach,” Mulligan said.

Last Updated: 10/12/2018