Adapting Software, Hardware, and Programming Support in a Virtual
Environment for the Boulder Solar Alliance Research Experience for
Undergraduates Program
Abstract
With the COVID-19 pandemic still active, the Boulder Solar Alliance
Research Experience for Undergraduates (BSA REU) decided to keep the
program remote for a second consecutive year. Our coordination team took
lessons learned from the 2020 virtual BSA REU program and adapted the
research experience to suit a virtual environment, especially with
respect to increased technological support. The primary changes, as well
as the reasons for implementing them, are outlined below. Due to the
virtual nature of the program, all of the projects relied more heavily
on coding. In response, the BSA REU team invested more time and
resources in programming tutorials and weekly programming help sessions
in Python, IDL, and MATLAB. The participants also faced unequal access
to high-quality hardware resources in a remote environment. As a result,
students received a technology stipend to help them upgrade their
computer and internet resources. Additionally, with an increase in the
focus on programming, a higher number of projects in 2021 involved
machine learning and data science techniques compared to previous years.
However, many of the students were unfamiliar with machine learning (ML)
concepts. The coordination team provided an introductory ML lecture and
tutorial during boot camp and hosted a weekly ML sub-group meeting to
provide support and resources for students involved in ML projects.
Finally, without being able to present results in person, it was
important to provide an interactive online experience for the poster
presentation session. To make the final poster presentation more
engaging in a virtual environment, we used Gather Town, an online
service where participants create avatars that can interact with the
virtual environment. In this presentation, we will discuss how the
adjustments to the BSA REU program in a virtual environment, including
those listed above, and how we think REU programs can adapt to future
remote and hybrid options. We will also discuss what elements of a
remote program can be carried forward into an on-site program to enhance
the on-site experience.