Evaluation of a Summer Undergraduate Research Program in Material Science Engineering

In the last decade, there has been a significant increase of undergraduate programs that offer research experiences in STEM related disciplines.They range from Biological sciences to all kinds of engineering fields.While a lot of resources have been put facilitating these programs, research and evaluation of these programs is necessary.Specifically, evaluation of the program will provide pertinent knowledge on what aspects of the program produce an impact, to what type of students the program does a great good, and what program processes and characteristics are transferable to similar programs across the country.The purpose of this study is to examine the impact the relationships and interactions with faculty, graduate student mentors, and other undergraduate researchers in a summer program at Oklahoma State University career paths.Results indicated that students knowledge and skills on material science and future careers, increased from the pre to post test.