OVERVIEW

The Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) in Visualization, Virtual Environments, Gaming, and Networking is a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded research program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. With the objective of broadening the participation in computing doctoral programs, the targeted student participants are women and minority students from minority, women’s, and non-doctoral institutions.
The intellectual focus of the REU Site is on computing research that is being conducted in four UNC Charlotte labs housed within the College of Computing and Informatics. Undergraduates will work, under the guidance of faculty, as members of REU lab teams to collaborate on research in the areas of data visualization, virtual environments, digital gaming, and mobile robotics/networking.

Goals

• Provide a year-round research experience to undergraduate students from populations that are under-represented in computing by immersing each student into the activities and culture of a research lab.
• Increase students’ understanding of computing research methodologies.
• Increase students’ awareness of the broad array of computing research disciplines.
• Provide students with multiple points of support from a diverse group of peers and faculty mentors.
• Increase students’ understanding of the process to apply to and prepare for entrance and success in computing doctoral programs.

Benefits

• Work with active and experienced research faculty.
• Receive a total stipend of $4000.
• Have the opportunity to attend a GRE prep class.
• Receive a meal allowance of $500 for the summer.
• Receive a summer parking decal.
• Housing on campus is provided.
• A “Best Computing Research Paper” award of $500 will be presented at the annual Student Research Conference.

Requirements

• Applicant must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident of the United States.
• Applicant must be and remain an undergraduate student in good standing.
• Applicant must plan to complete a degree program.
• Students must work a minimum of 40 hours per week at the REU site.
• Students must attend weekly lab meetings.
• Students must prepare a publishable literature survey.
• Students must prepare and submit a written report of the work done.
• Students must give an oral presentation of work performed at the REU Site.
• Students may participate in Computing REU programs at UNC Charlotte a maximum of two summers.