More undergraduate students will be able to experience research firsthand thanks to a $320,000 donation from the Micron Technology Foundation.

"We are very interested in giving the best, and most leading-edge, opportunity to students through research," said Janine Rush-Byers, university relations manager for the Micron Foundation.

The grant will be used to fund Intensive Mentoring Micro-Electronics Research for Students in Engineering (IMMERSE).

IMMERSE is a mentoring program that helps students prepare for careers and graduate studies in the micro-electronic fields.

"The biggest benefit [of IMMERSE] is the opportunity to work with undergraduate students on a one-to-one basis and prepare them for careers," said Steve Schultz, BYU professor of electrical engineering.

While in the program, students work with a faculty member on research that has real world application.

In the past, students have done research on topics ranging from mass spectrometry techniques (finding what a substance is made of) to sensors that can tell if a package was handled properly during shipment.

One of the things students learn early on is that research is different than they thought it would be.

"It's not like they make it to be in the textbooks," said Chris Carron, a senior from St. Louis, majoring in electrical engineering major. "It's like you always have these little walls to climb over."

An advantage of working in a mentoring program is that when students get hung-up, they have a professor they can turn to for help.

"The biggest thing I've learned is the right process, and way to attack problems." Said Brett Hanson, a senior from Las Vegas, majoring in electrical engineering.

One of the major benefits to students who work for IMMERSE is the opportunity to have their research published, Schultz said.

"Publication helps in a lot of ways, you know a lot more of the details of writing a paper," Carron said. "It sets you apart from the masses."

The donation from Micron will be paid out over the next four years and will allow IMMERSE to employ an additional five to seven students each year, said Aaron Hawkins, BYU professor of electrical engineering.

"IMMERSE has helped 51 students in the last five years," Hawkins said.

Copyright Brigham Young University 19 Sep 2007