The Fundamentals of Research for Engineers and Scientists equips undergraduate engineering and science students with the essential skills and attitudes for successful academic research. The book covers the complete research process-from selecting advisors and identifying topics to mastering the scientific method, strategic planning, and effective communication-while providing practical strategies for overcoming common obstacles like procrastination and self-doubt. With dedicated coverage of research ethics including plagiarism, data falsification, and whistleblowing protocols, this book prepares students to advance disciplinary knowledge responsibly while developing the professional maturity, flexible thinking, and problem-solving capabilities necessary for careers in research and development.

• Delivers a complete systematic approach covering advisor selection, topic identification, hypothesis development, experimental design, time management, and results dissemination for novice researchers.
• Equips students with proven methods to eliminate productivity barriers and cultivate research-enhancing mindsets including interrogative thinking, creative problem-solving, and intellectual courage.
• Develops critical competencies often missing from traditional curricula-including strategic planning, efficient resource management, presentation skills, and confidence in advancing knowledge frontiers.
• Connects classroom learning and practical internships with the unique perspective of knowledge creation, preparing students to contribute meaningfully to R&D and their profession's competitive edge.

Dr. Richard H. McCuen is an Emeritus Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Maryland. After 49 years (1971-2020) on the faculty at the University of Maryland, including 35 years as Director of the Engineering Honors Program, he retired as the Ben Dyer Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering (1998-2020). Dr. McCuen served in the U.S. Air Force from 1959 to 1963; he attended the U.S. Army Engineers School at Ft. Belvoir, VA, before serving a 3-year tour in Europe and western Asia. Dr. McCuen received a BSCE degree from Carnegie-Mellon University (1967), and the MSCE and Ph.D. (1971) degrees from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is the author of approximately 275 professional papers, conference proceeding papers, and reports. He also authored or co-authored 33 textbooks, and was a co-author of the 1986 version of the USDA's TR-55: Urban Hydrology for Small Watersheds. He was also a contributor to the original Bulletin 17, Guidelines for Determining Flood Flow Frequency (1976). He was a member of the federal work group on Estimating Peak Flow Frequencies for Natural Ungaged Watersheds (1981) and a member of the interagency committee: Feasibility of Assigning a Probability to the Probable Maximum Flood (1986). Dr. McCuen received the 2015 Ven Te Chow Award for research, education, and service from the American Society of Civil Engineers, the 1991 James M. Robbins Award for Excellence in Teaching from Chi Epsilon, the 2017 President's Outstanding Service Award from the American Water Resources Association, and the 1988 Icko Iben Award from the AWRA.