Earlier this year, a commission created by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching blasted undergraduate education at research universities, charging that students have taken a back seat to research. But the idea of undergraduates engaging in research isn't new for Penn State Engineering, said Richard McNitt , professor and head of engineering science and mechanics. McNitt said students in engineering science, the College's honors program, are required to do research as part of their senior thesis, a requirement that's been in place since the early 1970s. We want students to be intellectually curious. Students expect to apply only one discipline in solving a problem.
Research reinforces how all the sciences come to bear on a single problem.
Engineering science undergraduates receive a great deal of guidance and faculty supervision in their research endeavor. After choosing a research topic, they must develop a strict timetable and objectives to meet. Ryan Hersey , also an engineering science senior, said his experience gave him new insight on how research is conducted. It gives you more lab experience than in class. It's great preparation for grad school.