UHD: REU Program > Program Information

1. Overview of the proposed REU site at the University of Houston-Downtown
The objective of UHD REU program is to academically prepare motivated and talented undergraduate students for graduate schools and advanced research careers through an intensive 10-week summer research program. Ten Students will participate in the full cycle of research activities, including problem analysis, algorithm design, implementation, evaluation, and publication.

We solicit interest from undergraduate students in Computer Science and allied fields for the NSF REU site at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering Technology in the University of Houston-Downtown. REU stands for Research Experience for Undergraduates, it is a grant mechanism sponsored by NSF to promote scholastic activities at the undergraduate level. Participating students need to be enrolled in an accredited U.S. university or college and must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. We will give preference to seniors and juniors, but sophomores will also be considered if they have a strong record. The applicants need to have a solid mathematical background, which includes calculus and statistics, and knowledge of basic algorithms and data structures. They also need to be proficient in Visual C++ or Java.

Selected applicants will receive a stipend through the summer months to pursue research with one of the faculty members. The grant will include a monthly stipend and travel reimbursement if the applicant is coming from outside the Houston metro area. The NSF REU grant mechanism is designed to promote the careers of students interested in pursuing graduate education. It is an invaluable experience and CV booster that cannot be substituted even by a perfect performance in a perfect curriculum.

The selection will be based on academic background and one letter of recommendation from faculty members (to include observations of and assessment of the student's initiative, imagination, creativity, and perseverance in previous work). Project areas in which participants may be involved are listed under "Project Descriptions."

Participants will have library, office, and laboratory space provided. During the necessary literature search and formulation of the problem, students will be closely guided by their supervisors.
 

2. Schedule
10 weeks from early June to early August

3. Stipend
Each student selected for participation in this program will receive:

  1. a stipend of $5,000, plus room and board
  2. a travel allowance to offset transportation costs
  3. sponsorship to attend a research conference and present their research work

4. Research activities
Modern computing environments are often large-scaled, heterogeneous, highly distributed and interconnected. More efficient and powerful algorithms are needed to deal with such a complex environment. Research areas include Artificial Intelligence, High performance computing, and Networks. Here are some extracurricular activities:

  • Seminar talks on Selection of Research Topics, Research Literature Review, Technical Writing, and Research Ethics
  • A field trip to NASA Johnson Space Center at Houston.
  • A field trip to Department of Computer Science at the University of Houston.

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Shengli Yuan at yuans@uhd.edu or call 713-221-8572.
 

 

UHD REU site is sponsored by National Science Foundation and Scholar Academy.
University of Houston-Downtown
Department of Computer Science and Engineering Technology | College of Sciences & Technology
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