Research Experience for Undergraduates Site
Hybrid Design and Fabrication (REU-HDF)
The University of Texas at Arlington

This maker-centered Research Experiences for Undergraduates will serve as a site for students from diverse and interdisciplinary backgrounds to participate in developing smart material toolkits, AI-assisted and sensor-driven tools, and smart creative environments.

Projects will focus on democratizing access to advanced materials and fabrication techniques across a diverse range of underdeveloped materials within digital fabrication including clay, silicone, glass, biomaterials, and textiles. Undergraduate researchers will help develop and disseminate digital fabrication toolkits and user interface systems to further promote material and technological literacy in both academic and independent "do it yourself" communities. Exemplar artifacts developed under the mentorship of professional art and design faculty will be disseminated through social and popular media and generate inspiration, excitement, and critical reflection around interdisciplinary collaborations between art and technology.

Participants will benefit from professional development in design thinking, additive and subtractive fabrication, and human subjects research. The interdisciplinary research experience and training will contribute to a high-demand research skill set for REU participants portable to a variety of science and technology disciplines. Each research project is situated within a community of practice and designed to engage REU participants with stakeholders and peer researchers, including external mentors from internationally recognized human-computer interaction programs.

Located at the University of Texas at Arlington, this summer experience will also include recreational field trips to the renowned Fort Worth Stockyards and Kimbell Art Museum.

Eligibility

Rising sophomore or higher
Be and remain an undergraduate student in good standing
2.5 GPA or higher
US citizen or permanent resident
Background in Computer Science, preference to CS minors.
Open to majors outside Computer Science including, but not limited to: Art, Design, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Information Sciences, Material Science, Cognitive Science.

Application Materials

Statement of Purpose (2-page). Describe your research interests (including past experience, what they hope to gain from research), career goals, and which of the listed projects you are interested in.
CV/Resume
Unofficial transcripts from your current program
1 letter of recommendation from an instructor/professor
(Optional) A Maker Portfolio (PDF). Show us your creative side and your making abilities.

Benefits

Students selected to participate in the program will receive:

$6,000 $7,000 stipend for the 10-week summer research
Free housing on UTA campus
Campus gym membership
Summer meal plan ($1000 Dining Dollars)
Round-trip travel to/from the REU site (up to $500) for non-local REU participants
Interdisciplinary research mentoring from experts in the field.
Application Fee Waiver for UTA College of Engineering Graduate Programs
Conference travel and registration funding for first-author publications.
CV and Project Information distributed to top HCI programs.

Important REU Dates
Summer 2024 Cycle

Capacity 10 students
Program Dates May 23 - August 1, 2024 (~ 10 weeks)
Applications Open Jan 1, 2024
Application Deadline Mar 15, 2024
Notification of Acceptance Begins Mar 20, 2024
Declined Applicants Notified Mar 31, 2024
Apply to the Summer 2024 REU-HDF

Questions?

Feel free to contact Dr. Torres at cearto@uta.edu or check out our FAQ.

Funding for this REU Site is provided by the National Science Foundation (CNS-2150321)
National Science Foundation Logo