Undergraduate Research
Undergraduate Research Assistants wanted!
Application deadline: April 30, 2020
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is pleased to announce the Undergraduate Research and Innovation Program. Through this program, undergraduate students will gain valuable work experience while exploring their areas of interest in research.
Download the flyer here.
Open Positions
The projects below are seeking support from undergraduate researchers. Additional positions may be available. Please reach out to a professor conducting research in your area of interest to inquire about possible positions.
Design and Analysis of Lunar and Deep Space Habitat Structures Description: The research team supervised by Prof. Ramesh B. Malla intends to host two students with competencies in physics, math, and structural and mechanics related engineering fundamental knowledge. Students at the level of Junior or Senior are preferred. The students should have relevant coursework on mechanics, structural analysis, design, modeling and construction materials. These competencies are necessary to contribute to the research of development and analysis of Space structures/habitats, and construction of a physical testbed, meant to simulate a Lunar habitat and associated environmental hazards. This research requires working with computer models to simulate conditions experienced on the Lunar surface (including temperature fluctuations, meteorite impact, and radiation), construction of a model Lunar habitat for physical testing, and working closely with other researchers in the lab to deliver models and reports. Students with MATLAB and/or other computer programming and experience with structural design and analysis software are preferred. Successful applicants stand to gain exposure to professionals in industry and government agencies, get the opportunity to work on NASA-funded projects researching deep space structures/habitats, improve their knowledge of structural analysis and design, and gain experience working in a research environment. Download the project description. Principal Investigator: Dr. Ramesh Malla
Posted: 02/24/2020
Analysis, Modeling, Testing, and Monitoring of Railroad and Highway Bridge Infrastructure Description: The research team supervised by Prof. Ramesh B. Malla intends to host two students with a good understanding of physics, math, structural and mechanics related engineering fundamental knowledge. The student would have the opportunity to work on a project funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) University Transportation Center (UTC) - Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center (TIDC). The research team’s current effort includes finite element modeling, analysis and testing of railroad bridges to study dynamic behavior and to develop suitable structural health/condition monitoring system for the bridge structures. Students at the level of Junior or Senior are preferred. The students should have relevant coursework on mechanics, structural analysis, design, modeling and experience with structural design and analysis software engineering computer software .Successful applicants will gain exposure to industry and government agency professionals and get the opportunity to utilize their classroom knowledge to solve real-life problems, improve their knowledge on structural dynamics, analysis and design, and gain experience working in a research environment. Download the project description. Principal Investigator: Dr. Ramesh Malla
Posted: 02/24/2020
Development of model for clay-lime reactions in stabilized subgrades Description: Assist a grad student to prepare and analyze clay-lime samples for strength, chemical composition of the solid and the pore water. Obtain experience with soil compaction and strength testing, and a variety of chemical laboratory analyses. Civil and environmental engineering students can benefit from soil-related experience. Project Description: https://geo.engr.uconn.edu/researchprojects/a-thermodynamic-approach-to-chemical-soil-stabilization/ Principal Investigator: Dr. Maria Chrysochoou
Posted: 02/24/2020
High resolution wind prediction for an offshore wind farm in Massachusetts Description of work: Assist a graduate student to perform and evaluate wind forecast simulations over the location of the offshore wind farm. Observation data acquisition from the National Weather Service.” Students will get experience on weather prediction and the importance of weather forecasts for the siting, operation, and maintenance of the offshore wind farm. Principal Investigator: Dr. Marina Astitha
Posted: 02/21/2020
Revamping of extreme weather forecasts for Northeast United States Description of work: Analyze the in-house storm database (>200 simulated storms) by storm type: rain/wind, thunderstorms, blizzards/Nor’easters, tropical storms. The analysis will be based on weather variables that are important for prediction of power outages. Assist a graduate student in running new simulations to improve storm predictions.” Students will be educated in the research of forecasting extreme storms using various weather models and will assist the development of improved storm predictions. Principal Investigator: Dr. Marina Astitha
Posted: 02/21/2020
Stormwater Treatment Trains: From BMPs to Floodplains Description of work: We are looking for an eager undergraduate student to help establish a field observation site in the riparian zone of the horsebarn hill area. Learn about electrochemical sensors, gas measurements, surface water sampling and stormwater treatment. Principal Investigators: Dr. Tim Vadas, Dr. Baikun Li
Posted: 02/20/2020
As an Undergraduate Research Assistant, you will:
- Receive a competitive hourly rate for your work on research projects during the academic year.
- Earn a competitive summer stipend for full-time employment (40 hours per week for 10 weeks) for work on your research project.
- Earn a $250 award when you co-author a journal paper related to your research (upon notice of acceptance).
- Receive funding for travel to attend professional conferences in an area related to your undergraduate research.
- Receive priority consideration for a graduate assistantship if you decide to pursue graduate school.
- Have the opportunity to work on research-related senior design projects.
Application and Requirements:
- Identify a faculty member whose research area interests you. Let them know you are interested in applying to the URA program. The faculty advisor will then submit a short description of the scope of work to the Department Head.
- Undergraduate student applicants must have completed their freshman year.
- Students with a minimum GPA of 3.5 will have priority for an undergraduate research assistant position.
- Accepted students will take at least 3 credits of Directed Research credits with their faculty mentor.
- Undergraduate researchers are required to present a poster in the UConn Undergraduate Research Poster Session either in Fall 2020 or Spring 2021.
- CEE Faculty: please fill out this form https://forms.gle/AMucmNxZ998DwUGp9
For more information, contact Dr. Maria Chrysochoou at maria.chrysochoou@uconn.edu.
