The Barrett Scholarships: Sponsoring Undergraduate Student Research in Environmental Engineering to Encourage Professional Problem Solving and Communication

摘要

University of Vermont College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (UVMCEMS)and the Barrett Foundation have established a scholarship program forundergraduate students in engineering, physical and natural sciences who wish topursue independent research aimed at solving environmental problems. The BarrettScholarship program was specifically designed to create a more knowledgeable andeffective engineering workforce by reinforcing the technical (e.g., systems analyses,information technology (IT)) and "soft" skills (e.g. teamwork, communication,leadership) needed for solving environmental problems. The intent was to help retainstudent interest early in their engineering careers when few of their first or secondyear classes have any engineering or real-world applications.Fourteen scholarships have been awarded over the three-year pilot project covering arange of topics. During the summer research months, the Barrett Scholars meetregularly with their advisors and project affiliates. They prepare written and oralpresentations to communicate their work and many of them participate in campuswidestudent research events. Past recipients report their experiences with the BarrettScholarship program to be extremely valuable in their job searches, interest ingraduate studies and to their work experience.