MACES Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program: Integrating Research and Education

With support from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Merced nAnomaterials Center for Energy and Sensing (MACES) was launched in the summer of 2015 at the University of California Merced (UC Merced). MACES is a research and education center, focused on creating innovative material enabled solutions for energy and sensing-related space applications. The center established its MACES Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program to provide training and professional development opportunities for students, specifically aiming at groups traditionally underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and math. This program consists of Academic Year and Summer components and integrated research experience, mentoring and workshops on topics ranging from presentation skills to career preparation. The program engaged students from varied backgrounds, more than half of whom were from underrepresented groups, and provided them with tools that enabled greater confidence, expanded career perspectives, and enhanced conceptual and interdisciplinary knowledge.