Courtney Kodweis, of Hilton, participates in prestigious Research Experience for Undergraduates program

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Courtney Kodweis and her REU advisor, Dr. Subha Kumpaty, professor, MSOE Mechanical Engineering Department

MILWAUKEE, WI (08/08/2012)(readMedia)-- Nine undergraduate students from around the country, including Courtney Kodweis of Hilton, N.Y., were selected to participate in Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), an innovative 10-week summer program at Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE). As part of the REU program, students researched projects advancing state-of-the-art applications in the biomedical, aerospace, manufacturing, composite, biomolecular and fluid power industries.

Kodweis, a biomedical engineering major at University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, is working on a research project titled "Three-Dimensional Modeling of the Pediatric Airway."

REU is an innovative, interdisciplinary program funded by the National Science Foundation, MSOE's Rapid Prototyping Center, MSOE's Fluid Power InstituteTM and the Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power (CCEFP) to give undergraduates hands-on experience in research. This program focuses on applications of fluid power and rapid prototyping technology.

Hands-on access to solid freeform fabrication devices and fluid power laboratories, close partnerships with advisors, industry mentors and other educational institutions, paired with a creative learning environment provided students with a high probability of success in research focused on solving industrial problems through advanced manufacturing technology.

Students conducted research, took field trips to visit professionals and problem solved with advisors, teammates and other resources. They participated in poster sessions, group discussions, research documentation, learned new software, attended Rapid Prototyping Consortium and Fluid Power Institute meetings, made presentations, built models, designed and completed experiments and wrote research papers.

Click for a complete list of participants.

MSOE is an independent, non-profit university with about 2,500 students. MSOE offers 18 bachelor's degrees and nine master's degrees in the engineering, engineering technology, building and infrastructure engineering, health-related engineering, computer, business and nursing fields. The university has a national academic reputation; longstanding ties to business and industry; dedicated professors with real-world experience; and extremely high placement rates and the highest starting salaries of any Wisconsin university according to PayScale Inc. MSOE graduates are well-rounded, technologically experienced and highly productive professionals and leaders.