Increasing Global Competencies through International Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research on Big Data in Energy and Related Infrastructure

ABSTRACT

This paper describes the first year of the implementation of a three-year long NSF-funded International Experience for Students (IRES) Site Track-1 project. As a part of the IRES Site Track-1 project, three engineering programs at three U.S. universities have collaborated on a project to increase the global competencies of undergraduate engineering/computer science students through a summer international research training program in big data in energy and related infrastructure in partnership with the Universiti Teknologi Petronas in Perak, Malaysia. The U.S. Universities included Texas A&M University, North Dakota State University, and University of Nevada at Las Vegas. The IRES program includes two-week pre-visit trainings on cultural and global aspects and six-week team-based research experience at the partner Malaysian university. However, due to COVID-19 restriction, all activities in the first year was conducted virtually in Summer 2021. A total of 9 participants were selected, three each from the three US Universities. The IRES participants were divided into three teams. Each project team consisted of one member from four participating institutions (3 U.S. and one Malaysian) thus providing students with a global team environment. Furthermore, of those 4 student members in a team, they represented multiple engineering disciplines. A survey conducted before and after the program showed net overall improvement in the research aptitude of the participants and their understanding on research methods, professional presentation skills, and global teamwork. Furthermore, the IRES students also attended a month-long training on global culture and received a certificate on global competency issues by the Halliburton Global Engineering Program at Texas A&M University. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2022