A Model to Facilitate Undergraduate Engineering Research

In order to be able to innovate sustainable solutions to critical engineering problems, a modern engineer needs to be adequately equipped with sufficient creativeness and a research attitude. The focus of existing undergraduate engineering curricula is however, often limited to the development of sound knowledge of the engineering fundamentals, forgoing the need for nurturing creativity and research skills in the students. The current paper presents a model for systematic facilitation of undergraduate research, while remaining within the constraints of a prescribed curriculum. The model endeavors to strike a balance between the concerns of engineering education and engineering research. The students are encouraged to get in touch with the current innovations in the frontier areas of their respective engineering fields and are promoted to develop their undergraduate projects in constant interaction and under continuous mentoring of a faculty research group. They are thus equipped to contribute creatively to the area of their study right from the beginning of their engineering career, which would instill in them enough confidence to engage with contemporary engineering challenges.Copyright © 2010 by ASME