The George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) coordinates a geographically distributed Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program with up to 30 students placed at five to eight research sites each summer. With only two to four students at each site, creating a sense of cohort among these 30 geographically distributed students can be difficult. One challenge is providing opportunities for all of the students to interact in ways that support each other's research experience. In an attempt to maximize student learning and personal growth, the program coordinators have leveraged NEEShub, the cyberinfrastructure that interconnects the 14 NEES research sites, to engage students in professional development activities and peer-to-peer interaction. The REU program uses a combination of face-to-face and technology mediated interactions. Cyberinfrastructure tools to support interaction between cohorts at the different sites include a course management system (Moodle embedded in NEEShub), WebEx video conferencing, and a 3D virtual world called QuakeQuest. For the online interaction to be most effective, students 1) need to understand why they are using the

tools, and 2) be coached in how to critique each other’s work and contribute to threaded discussions.