Research Experiences for Undergraduates
The RAPID Facility participates in the NHERI Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Summer Program, providing undergraduate students with hands-on research opportunities in natural hazards reconnaissance and data collection. This 10-week summer program connects students with faculty mentors and advanced research projects that address critical questions in disaster science and engineering.
REU participants work directly with cutting-edge reconnaissance equipment, learn field data collection techniques, and contribute to ongoing research projects investigating how natural disasters impact communities and infrastructure. Students gain experience with lidar systems, unmanned aircraft, surveying instruments, and data processing methods while working alongside graduate researchers and faculty.
The program includes professional development workshops, research presentations, and networking opportunities with the broader natural hazards research community. Students receive a $6,000 research stipend, housing support, travel funds to the host institution, and additional travel support to present their research at the annual NHERI REU Research Symposium.
Program Details
10-week summer research experience (June-August)
Open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents enrolled in undergraduate programs
Integration with the broader NHERI network of research facilities
Presentation opportunities at national research symposium
Previous REU Projects
2025
Ryan Chen: Evaluating the Efficacy of AI Vision-Language Models in Aerial Image Wildfire Damage Assessments
Ella Wilson: Evaluating Vision-Language Models for Automated Wildfire Damage Classification Using Street-View Imagery
2024
Kathleen Julca: Low-Cost Air Monitor Accuracy and Specification Comparison for Community-Based Monitoring
Anna Miletich: Justifying Physical-Visual Pedagogies that Mitigate Excess Cognitive Load in Undergraduate Engineering Mechanics Courses
Edan Miller: Using Street-Level Hurricane Damage Datasets to Advance AI-Supported Damage Detection and Characterization
2023
Sarah Goldstein: Street View Imagery as a Disaster Impact Survey Method: A Case Study of Seattle, WA During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic
Elanor Whitesides: Mayfield Clothing Mill Deviation Analysis and Conversion of Point Cloud Model to FEM
2022
Keely Patelski: Post-Tornado Historic Masonry Building Reconstruction
Simrill Smith: Dynamic Site Characterization of Soft Ground in Seattle: Workflow, Analysis and Results
Allison Vermaak: Exploration of the Utility and Accuracy of Apple iPad LiDAR Technology
2021
Kaylie Mattingly: Suitability of Panoramic Photographs for Developing Structure-from-Motion Models
Tyler Waggle: Merging 360° Streetview Images and LiDAR: A Usable Data Product for Future Analysis
2019