Activity C: Research Engineer Network

The REN has three tracks of activities: Research Progression Skills (REN-RPS), Research Networking Skills (REN-RNS), and Career Preview and Preparation (REN-CPP). Each track of activities is offered alternately in Fall and Spring. The REN also has a one-on-one mentoring session with a focus on research engineer identity development.

REN-RPS

This is offered at two levels, Level 1 in Fall semester and Level 2 in Spring semester. Through these we build student capabilities in research thus enhancing their feelings of self-efficacy and providing them with a foundational component of a research engineer identity. The topics in Level 1 include basics of research, goals of research, identifying a topic and a plan, and conducting high quality, visible research. The topics in Level 2 include publishing and the types of avenues for publishing, tips for writing papers, writing theses or dissertations, and defending a dissertation or presenting a paper. Students complete Level 1 before they participate in Level 2. Through these we build student capabilities in research thus enhancing their feelings of self-efficacy and providing them with a foundational component of a research engineer identity.

REN-RNS:

The REN-RNS provide students with another foundational component of a research engineer identity. The topics are addressed in four two-hour sessions with presentation and discussion. The outcome of this sessions is a networking plan while a student, and a personal contemporaneous reflection on the four topics.

REN-CPP:

With the help of the college’s partners in industry and federal government, we provide talks and discussions with corporate, federal, and academic researchers to provide students with a glimpse of these different career paths. The fourth type of session addresses the preparation of curriculum vitae for the four career paths discussed: corporate research, federal research, faculty, and post-doctoral researcher. The outcome of this set of sessions include the student submitting a curriculum vitae for each of the four career paths and a personal contemporaneous reflection on the three career topics

REN-M:

Each student in the REN participates in a one-on-one mentoring session each year. This occurs at the end of the Fall and Spring semesters. These one-hour sessions focus on the accomplishments and plans pertaining to their research engineer identity development. Similar to the REN-CPP, these mentoring sessions provide important opportunities for students to authorize their identity as research engineers, and support their transition from graduate student to research engineer