NIST-PREP

The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is a Historically Black College, an urban land-grant university and the only public university in the District of Columbia. As UDC embarks on a mission to become a premier research institution in the nation’s capital, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Professional Research Experience Program (PREP-UDC) will play a pivotal role in accelerating the research capabilities and opportunities available to the diverse population of the region.

The PREP-UDC program builds on the legacy relationship of the University’s land-grant beginnings on the site of the former National Bureau of Standards to continue a highly collaborative relationship with scientists and engineers from the NIST. Through this exciting new opportunity, PREP-UDC researchers can conveniently participate on-site at NIST Gaithersburg to receive mentorship, training, and exposure to cutting-edge research and development efforts.

Researchers and students from UDC’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) will work to increase American industrial competitiveness and our resilience in addressing challenges of the 21^st century. In turn, the program will prepare a diverse, research-capable workforce that is increasingly inclusive of underrepresented minorities.

Overview of Our Students

Our Students

Traditional (after high school)
Non-traditional (working full-time / professional / married / 2nd degree earners)
In recent years, more traditional college bound students are enrolling

Student Residency

District, Washington Metropolitan Region* and other states
Transfer students from local Community Colleges
International Students

Admission

UDC Community College (open enrollment) in 2009
Flagship (selective) admission has GPA and SAT/ACT requirements

Vision 2020 and Equity Imperative Plan

AREAS OF RESEARCH EXPERTISE:

PREP-UDC offers student research assistants at the undergraduate, master’s, and PhD levels. Additionally, we can provide research fellows at the post-baccalaureate, post-doctoral, and faculty levels. SEAS currently has 25 full-time faculty and 20 part-time faculty with a breadth of interests and expertise that includes, but is not limited to, the list below.

Renewable energy & power systems integration; solar capture; solar cell defect analysis & device modeling
Operation, planning & communication for Smart Grid; wireless communication and sensor networks
Advanced digital and cyber-physical systems; VLSI & ASIC applications; embedded systems design
Development of infrastructure resilience assessment, management, & hydrologic system design
Sustainable concrete materials; geotechnical risk & reliability; geotechnical earthquake engineering
Multi-level, multi-objective vulnerability assessment of transportation networks
Additive manufacturing: measurement, characterization, modeling and post-processing of alloys
Nanomaterials for thermal management; energy recovery and conversion; multi-scale and multi-physics modeling
Nanomaterials synthesis & characterization; in-situ measurement; electron/ion beam applications
Nanotechnology; nanoscale device fabrication; molecular spintronics devices; biosensors
Smart product design & manufacturing; robotics; mechatronics system design and standardization
Biomedical diagnostic ultrasound imaging; rehabilitation engineering; bio-assisted and exoskeleton devices
Multi-robot coordination & communication; autonomous systems; artificial intelligence
Data science; machine learning; Big Data; data analysis, pattern recognition, data mining and image analysis
Software defined radio/radar; Smart Vehicles; cybersecurity; security protocols & semantic technologies