What To Expect

By participating in the Integrated Optics for Undergraduates (IOU) program, you will:

• Gain research experience in nationally recognized labs
• Prepare for graduate school
• Network with peers and research professionals
• Receive mentoring from top faculty
• Create potentially publishable work
• Receive a competitive stipend, and restitution for travel and housing
  

Some students may be eligible to receive academic credit and have the opportunity to attend professional conferences to present their IOU research.
All students that are accepted into the program are supported financially with competitive stipends. Capped grants are available to reimburse students for room, board, and travel costs. Students who excel may be invited to continue their work the following summer at a different academic institution or as an intern with one of CIAN's Industrial Advisors.
By the end of the summer students are familiar with both the technical skills of performing research within the lab, and the social and cultural skills necessary to succeed in academia. Students are generally exposed to a variety of research activities, including:

• Literature search
• Scientific manuscript preparation
• Experimental design
• Bench work and lab notebook management
• Mathematical modeling
• Instrumental characterization
• Computer/software control and analysis
• Machine shop skills
• Lab safety
• Communication, organizational and interpersonal skills
  

Students accepted into the program are expected to participate in their designated laboratory for 40 hours per week to complete an academically appropriate research project designed in conjunction with their advisor. These projects are planned according to the student's interests and abilities as well as the real needs of the research group. By the end of the ten-week session, students are expected to complete:

• 5-page research summary
• Research poster to be presented during a capstone poster session
• An oral presentation explaining the mission of their research laboratory and the contribution of their summer project

See examples of past IOU students work here

To provide learning experiences that prepare students for the challenges of academic research a variety of career development activities outside the lab will be offered. These activities include technical seminars by graduate students and faculty, GRE-prep classes, career seminars, as well as tutorials and workshops designed to teach students customary formats for communicating scientific research and how to do so most effectively.

Students meet frequently with their faculty and graduate/postdoctoral advisors to precisely define their research project, set realistic goals and expectations, discuss setbacks that may arise, and design solutions to the inevitable surprises and challenges that occur during research.
Students are also invited to participate in a variety of social events and extra-curricular activities including CIAN sponsored lunches, field trips to local sites, BBQs, and other social functions.

Sample Schedule of Activities

Week 1
Orientation

Week 2
The Physics of Light vs. Electrons
Responsible Conduct of Research

Week 3
Information Processing - Switches, Amplifiers, and Computing
Abstract Writing Workshop

Week 4
Molecular Design - How to Make a Chromophore
How to Give a Scientific Presentation

Week 5
Optoelectronics - Marrying Semiconductors and Photons
Technical Poster Design

Week 6
Nonlinear Optics
Career Pathways - Industry

Week 7
Resonators, Waveguides, and Fiber-optics
Career Pathways - Federal Government

Week 8
Materials Scale-up and Processing
Career Pathways - K-12 Teaching

Week 9
Device Manufacture - End of the R&D Path
Career Pathways - Academia

Week 10
Symposium Prep
Final IOU Symposium

The Orientation will introduce students to the rationale behind research, general research procedures (as needed for each cohort), how to set realistic goals and expectations, and how to handle frustration and setbacks.

Students are encouraged to meet frequently with their faculty and graduate/postdoctoral advisors, particularly in the early stages of the program, to precisely define their projects and review lab-specific safety protocols.

Students' project plans will be approved by their faculty advisors by the end of week two of the experience. Throughout the summer, students may gather twice weekly for content and skill-set building seminars.

Final reports (abstracts) will be due in the 9th or 10th week, at which time students may also be required to participate in a final symposium and present their work. These reports will be reviewed by the faculty advisors and may be bound in a "journal" to be posted online, and distributed in hard copy to all IOU participants.

Students are also invited to participate in a variety of social events and extra-curricular activities including CIAN sponsored lunches, field trips to local museums and baseball games.

This site is co-funded by the ASSURE program of the Department of Defense in partnership with the National Science Foundation REU Site program under Grant No. EEC-1004331