Kristen Kopczynski Helps Evaluate the REU LAR Program
PULLMAN, WASH.—Honors College student Kristen Kopczynski, a civil engineering major, has a unique role in Washington State University’s Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program. This summer, Kopczynski is helping Shane Brown, clinical assistant professor in the department of civil and environmental engineering, assess REU’s Laboratory for Atmospheric Research (LAR) program.
“Currently, we are evaluating the REU LAR program to see if it is accomplishing its set goals,” states Kopczynski, “ on student learning, research confidence, and attitudes towards graduate school.” To do this, she will look at 13 students’ perceived confidence in a task and if their efficacy changes over time, whether positively or negatively.
At the beginning of the 10-week REU LAR in June, Kopczynski interviewed undergraduate participants to determine their confidence level. Toward the end of the LAR program in July, the senior from Spokane will interview the students for a second time to determine if their confidence level has changed or remained the same. Both sets of interviews with the undergraduates are transcribed word-for-word. Kopczynski findings could provide a future evaluation format for larger groups of undergraduates or for other REU programs.
When asked how she found this unique opportunity, Kopczynski says that while she was looking for summer work in the civil engineering department, her soon-to-be advisor Brown contacted her.
“Kristen has done a superb job working for me this summer,” says Brown. “She is very intelligent, hard working, and has come up to speed on evaluation methods very quickly.” This is the first year Brown has done a REU evaluation.
Kopczynski came to WSU after visiting her older brother, who graduated from WSU in 2007, and falling in love with the Pullman campus. “I would visit David here and go to sport games,” she says. Her family has also influenced her in other ways. After hearing her sister talk about her construction job in Seattle, Kopczynski decided to specifically focus on structural and construction engineering.
Structural engineers mainly design buildings and foundations while construction engineers problem-solve when something goes wrong while building or help with the steps in between an architect’s design and actually building it.
“I’ve always known that I wanted to major in something science based, like engineering, but I knew that I wouldn’t be exposed to any liberal arts classes,” says Kopczynski when asked why she joined the Honors College. “Being a part of Honors has made me a well-rounded student and has improved my communication skills.” She also enjoys the small classroom sizes and the one-on-one teaching with a diverse faculty.
Future plans for Kopczynski include seeking an internship and possibly obtaining a masters’ degree.
CONTACT: Merik Metos, WSU Undergraduate Education Communications Intern, 509-335-6679, mmetos@wsu.edu