Undergraduate and first-year graduate students engaging in engineering research need more than technical skills and tools to be successful. From finding a research position and funding, to getting the mentoring needed to be successful while conducting research responsibly, to learning how to do the other aspects of research associated with project management and communication, this book provides novice researchers with the guidance they need to begin developing mastery. Awareness and deeper understanding of the broader context of research reduces barriers to success, increases capacity to contribute to a research team, and enhances ability to work both independently and collaboratively. Being prepared for what's to come and knowing the questions to ask along the way allows those entering researcher to become more comfortable engaging with not only the research itself but also their colleagues and mentors.

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Wendy C. Crone is the Karen Thompson Medhi Professor in the Department of Engineering Physics, with affiliate faculty appointments in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and she holds the honor of Discovery Fellow with the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research is in the area of solid mechanics, and many of the topics she has investigated are connected with nanotechnology and biotechnology. She has applied her technical expertise to improving fundamental understanding of mechanical response of materials, enhancing material behavior through surface modification and nanostructuring, exploring the interplay between cells and the mechanics of their surroundings, and developing new material applications and medical devices. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and Whitaker Foundation. She teaches courses in the areas of engineering mechanics, engineering physics, and informal science education. Over the last two decades, Prof. Crone has trained over two dozen graduate students and postdocs in engineering mechanics, materials science, biomedical engineering, and engineering education. Her former students hold positions in academia, national laboratories, and industry. Prof. Crone has received awards for research, teaching, and mentoring. In addition to numerous peer reviewed journal publications, dozens of explanatory education products, and four patents, she is the author of the book Survive and Thrive: A Guide for Untenured Faculty. She has also served in several leadership roles over the course of her career, including Interim Dean and Associate Dean of the Graduate School at UW-Madison and President of the Society for Experimental Mechanics.