There's a lot more involved than I thought. 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.