Project Activities for Summer Research Program

The ten-week summer research program consists of a number of well-designed research activities.

Research Activities and Timeline

These activities are described below:

1.      Orientation Workshop: This will take place on the first two days of the summer research program. Student participants will be familiarized with the objectives of the program, will be provided administrative and logistical information, and will be provided an overview of the construction management discipline.

2.      Faculty Presentations: Faculty members from the Del E. Webb School of Construction will give presentations. The presentations will provide information about the current research projects that each faculty member is conducting. General ideas and concepts will be provided during these presentations.

3.      Research Program Finalization: Student participants will be allowed to review and discuss the research opportunities available during this time. They will have an opportunity to select a research area that is of interest to them. Once the research area is selected the student participants will develop a research proposal that will guide their research program. The principal coordinator and the appropriate faculty mentor will do this task on a one-on-one basis. Care will be taken to identify objectives and scope of work that can be accomplished in the given time frame.

4.Research Program: Each student participant will be involved in a research project being undertaken by one of the faculty mentors. This task has been assigned a nine-week duration. Student-faculty interaction during this nine-week period will be very crucial. Involvement of the student participants in the research team for each research project will be required. A balanced approach between guided research effort and independent research effort will be followed. In addition to the actual research activities the research program will involve individual meetings with faculty mentor, meetings with graduate research assistants, research group meetings, progress reports and progress presentations.

5.      Research Seminar: A biweekly seminar will be organized. The project coordinator will coordinate this seminar. The seminar will be used as a medium for exchange of research ideas between student participants. Other faculty members and graduate students will also be invited to these seminars. Student research projects will be used as a mechanism for discussion. The objective will be to provide student participants experience in developing an understanding for a given research topic.

6.      Construction Management Workshop: The summer research program will include a construction management workshop. The Del E. Webb Foundation Eminent Scholar Program that attracts an eminent individual from academia or industry for the summer session each year will develop and present the workshop. Topics such as design and analysis of construction operations, planning and scheduling, information technology in construction, and quality, safety, and communication management will be covered.

7.      Site Visits and Panel Discussion: The student participants will participate in two-construction project site visits (half-day duration), and a panel discussion (two-hour duration) of construction industry experts describing the current status of the industry and its research needs. This part of the summer research program will be supported by the Alliance for Construction Excellence (ACE)—the outreach arm of the Del E. Webb School of Construction.

8.      Final Presentation/Symposium: During the last week of the summer research program a two-day long symposium will be held. All student participants will be required to give a final presentation describing their research program during this symposium. Faculty members will be present and will evaluate the work performed by the student participants. A poster session at the end of the symposium will be used to showcase the work performed by the student participants. Members of the regional construction industry, other graduate and undergraduate students, and faculty will be invited to this event.

9.      Final Report: Each of the student participants will be required to submit a final report.

10.  Program Evaluation: The summer research program will conclude with program evaluation. Each student participant will be required to evaluate the summer research program. More information about evaluation is provided in a section titled “Project Evaluation”.

In addition to the above listed activities numerous social events will be organized. This will provide an opportunity to everyone involved in the REU site to develop social ties with each other and to promote collegial relationships.