Research Experience for Undergraduates

UTEP Summer Site in Applied Intelligent Systems

The Computer Science Department at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), in collaboration with the departments of Psychology, Biological Sciences, Industrial Engineering, and Civil Engineering, offers an eight-week full-time research program for qualified undergraduates in the area of applied intelligent systems.

The program is supported by the National Science Foundation and will sponsor ten students who will work full-time during the summer. It will emphasize interdisciplinary research, with the unifying research theme consisting of the application of intelligent system techniques, including machine learning, data mining, optimization, and image analysis, to solve relevant real-world data analysis problems in science and engineering fields. This will allow the students to gain a broader overview of science and engineering as a potential career than would be possible in more narrowly-defined research areas.

Schedule and Activities

This REU program consists of a ten-week summer session, from May 26 to August 1, 2014. During this period, each student is expected to complete a research project under the supervision of a faculty member affiliated with program. Students will also participate in a weekly research seminar, an ethics seminar, and they are encouraged to participate in the group's social activities, which include cookouts, hiking outings, a trip to Carlsbad Caverns, and others.

Sample Research Projects

For a brief description of sample projects click here.

Faculty Mentors

Each student will be jointly supervised by a member of the Intelligent Systems Group in the Computer Science Department and a member of one of the affiliated departments, as appropriate for the selected project. The current list of mentors includes:

Support

Each student will receive a stipend of $4,800 for the ten-week period, on-campus housing, a food allowance of $1000, and a travel allowance of up to $800.

Selection and Application Process

Students majoring in computer science, or students majoring in any science or engineering field who have a strong computer science background are eligible to apply. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or Permanent Residents. A minimum GPA of 2.8 is required. Women and members of underrepresented minority groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

Interested applicants need to submit by email, no later than March 31, 2014, a completed application form, a copy of their current transcript issued by the university, and two letters of recommendation (preferably by the applicant's academic professors and advisors). Please use the subject line [AIS-REU] in all correspondence.

Applications forms and transcripts must be submitted by email to ofuentes at utep dot edu. Recommendation letters should be sent directly by the reference writer to the same address.

Contact Information

For additional information, contact the project's principal investigator:

Olac Fuentes
Computer Science Department
University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso 79968
Phone: (915) 747-6956
email: ofuentes at utep dot edu