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Progress towards future modes of transportation and energy production has uncovered significant knowledge gaps impeding technical progress. Realizing aircraft that regularly operate in supersonic and even hypersonic regimes and turbomachinery supporting carbon neutrality can be addressed only through multi-disciplinary research. The University of Central Florida (UCF) equips future engineers and scientists for research-oriented careers through a variety of programs and initiatives. One key initiative is a Research Experiences for Undergraduates Site housed within the Center for Advanced Turbomachinery and Energy Research and the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Now hosting its fifth cohort, the site unites multi-disciplinary projects around HYpersonic, Propulsive, Energetic, and Reusable Platforms (HYPER). Beyond graduate-level research with expert faculty, participants engage in a professional development series, industry tours, and computational software training. UCF plays a key role in preparing a workforce of young scientists for research careers in hypersonics. This paper presents data drawn from the four completed cohorts of HYPER participants on how exposing participants to the various disciplines has impacted their self-efficacy, as well as a brief summary of lessons learned along the way. With this site, UCF plays a key role in preparing a workforce of young scientists for research careers in hypersonics. 

The University of Central Florida (UCF) trains future engineers and scientists for research-oriented careers through a number of programs and initiatives. One of the most recent is a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site based on next-generation transportation and energy housed within the Center for Advanced Turbomachinery and Energy Research (CATER) and the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE). The site unites eleven multi-disciplinary research projects around HYpersonic, Propulsive, Energetic, and Reusable Platforms (HYPER). A key goal of HYPER is to equip and motivate undergraduate students to pursue graduate school and/or a research-oriented career, particularly across a diverse student participant cohort. The site has held two cohorts, engaging 25 students in a ten-week intensive experience, conducting research under the guidance of faculty mentors and graduate students. Students explored career options through industry tours, professional development seminars, and mentor-led research seminars. This paper reports the program impacts on the students and discusses several lessons learned across the cohorts.