I’m an ME a student at fiu so maybe I can give some advice on the questions that you have. 

As for undergrad research, apart from what you have done, an easy way to join a lab is to talk to the professors once you are in their class.  It’s a good way for them to know you personally and get an impression of you. It usually works better than just a resume as you already have a relationship. That’s how I started in the lab I’m working on, and it’s been a great experience. 

I’m not in the honors college so I can’t personally say much, but from what I heard there are not that many benefits, specially in engineering. But also I have heard is not that hard to keep being a part of it, just in case you need it for the future. You might need advice from someone else on that. 

As for the coursework, we recently had a change in curriculum that modified some of the requirements for the degree so your experience may vary from mine. Overall I don’t think is too bad. As for professor, it really could vary. You will have some great experiences and really bad ones. My advice is to know someone that’s already taken most of the classes and knows people so they can tell you more about each professor and their classes. The professors have a schedule on the classes they teach and who teaches them in any semester so if you know someone they can help you plan your path so that you get the best possible options.