About

About the Dr. Elif Oğuz CE STAR Undergraduate Research Program

The CE STAR is a one-year research program that enables undergraduate civil engineering students to engage in cutting-edge academic work under the supervision of a faculty member.

Through CE STAR, you will have the opportunity to join research groups within the department. As a CE STAR student, you can take an early step in your academic career by becoming part of a dynamic research team. You may also have the opportunity to attend international conferences, present your work and interact with experts in your field.

The program begins in March and runs for one year. A list of faculty-proposed projects is available under the “Current Program” tab. These are typically short descriptions intended to initiate discussions with the respective faculty member. You may refine the research topic together with your advisor or propose a completely new one. If you would like to work with faculty members not listed, you may contact them directly.

Once you agree on a project with a faculty member, the CE STAR advisor will notify us of your name and project title. Please note that you are expected to commit a specified number of hours per week to your research project, as determined by your CE STAR advisor.

If you are not currently enrolled in the program but are considering joining, you are strongly encouraged to contact faculty members and begin working on your project as early as possible.

The one-year program concludes with poster and oral presentations. The tentative timeline of the program is as follows:

▪ March – Application deadline
▪ June – Summer tasks assigned
▪ October – Summer progress review and assignment of fall tasks
▪ February – Posters due
▪ March – Poster and oral presentations

The CE STAR program is open to all students in good academic standing.

Eligibility Requirements

▪ Students from all years (freshman through senior) may apply.
▪ Applicants must have a CGPA higher than 2.50.
▪ Students enrolled in CE STAR must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.00 each semester and must not receive any failing grades (FF or FD) in any course.
▪ If an applicant does not meet these requirements, it is recommended that the student devote the additional time that would have been allocated to CE STAR to improving their academic performance. If the student still wishes to work with a faculty member, they may request written consent from that faculty member to waive this requirement.

Each student who completes the program will receive a certificate of successful participation at the closing event.