Experience with Undergraduate Student Researchers on the City Block Project

Gregg Fiegel, Cal Poly, San Luis ObispoBen Mason, University of California, Berkeley

Nick Trombetta, University of California, San DiegoBob Reitherman, CUREE

QUAKE SUMMIT - NEES & PEER ANNUAL MEETINGOctober 9, 2010

Supported by the NSF under Grant No. CMMI-0830331 through NEESParticipants include the University of California, Berkeley (lead institution), University of Buffalo-SUNY, University of California, Davis, University of California, San Diego, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and the Consortium of Universities for Research in Earthquake Engineering. This project utilizes the NEES equipment site at the University of California, Davis. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF.

Presentation Objectives Describe the project objectives and learning

outcomes for the undergraduates Describe the program used to recruit the

undergraduate research assistants Describe the strategies employed to train

and mentor the students Describe assessment strategies and discuss

select assessment results Comment on lessons learned and

recommendations for moving forward

Project Background Centrifuge modeling to investigate soil-

structure interaction in dense urban areas Four-year project with six experiments Large project team

Well Suited for Undergrads Hands-on learning experience Diverse project team “Wow factor” of the centrifuge Graduate student mentors Junior-level qualifications Timing of experiments

Learning Outcomes Conduct a centrifuge model experiment Function effectively on a multi-disciplinary

research team Prepare a well-written report or presentation

summarizing his/her experience Summarize the primary research objectives

and findings Describe the graduate school environment

and what it means to be a graduate student

Recruiting Program Varied marketing approaches Clearly defined goals Letter of interest Application Interview Graduate student input

Mentoring StrategyUndergraduate Students:

Prepare them to be successful Assign varied tasks Encourage questions Provide regular feedback Reduce distractions

Mentoring StrategyGraduate Students:

Articulate the learning outcomes Provide leadership training Provide teacher training Trust them Provide regular feedback

Undergraduate Students Background Information:

2 female, 3 male 4 civil engineering, 1 architectural engineering 2 geotechnical, 2 structural, 1 general 3 seniors, 2 juniors 3.1 to 3.9 overall grade point average Extensive work experience Varied co-curricular experiences Varied short-term career goals

Assessment Completed three successful centrifuge

experiments Inspired interest in research and

graduate school Provided opportunities for undergrads

to practice presentation skills Collected valuable feedback using

post-employment surveys

Recommendations Involve the student researchers in the

project as early as possible Survey the student researchers on their

skills prior to beginning site work Provide regular feedback (positive and

corrective) on student performance Allow a week after testing for reflection

and the completion of a capstone project Seek opportunities for undergraduates to

work together

AcknowledgmentsSponsor: National Science Foundation

Principal Investigators: Jonathan Bray (UCB), Tara Hutchinson (UCSD), Bruce Kutter (UCD), Bob Reitherman (CUREE), Andrew Whittaker (Buffalo)

The NEES City Block team: Chandrakanth Bolisetti, ZhiQiang Chen, Benjamin Choy, Stefanie Gille, Reed Helgens, Katherine Jones, Jonathan Lund, Ben Mason, Jack Montgomery, Roshani Patel, Clayton Proto, Hamilton Puangnak, Nick Trombetta, Josh Zupan

UCD CGM Staff and Students: Anatoliy Ganchenko, Chad Justice, Dan Wilson, David Dickey, Lijung Deng, Manny Hakhamaneshi, Ray Gerhard, Ross Boulanger