WISE offers summer research opportunities session

Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs) are sponsored by the National Science Foundation and are offered at REU sites nationally and abroad. The National Institutes of Health, federally funded labs, universities and corporate labs offer similar experiences.

Typically these opportunities take place for 10 weeks over the summer, include a travel allowance to get to and from the site, housing and a $3,000 - $4,000 stipend. Students typically work with faculty members and other students from around the country.

"Students find out about these valuable opportunities primarily through word of mouth or through participation in UROP, " explains WISE Director Cinda-Sue Davis. "This session was a first step toward informing more students about REUs, illuminating the application process, and helping students become more strategic when applying."

Davis also points out that many of these opportunities target women and underrepresented minorities.

Also presenting at the workshop were UM Physics Professor and Associate Chair for Undergraduate Education Tim McKay. The UM Physics department offers two REU opportunities each summer, one on the Ann Arbor campus and one in Switzerland at CERN, one of the world's premier international laboratories.

McKay highlighted the benefits of participating in an REU, including the chance to be with other people with similar interests, the opportunity to explore an interesting research question, and the opportunity to experience full-time research in a new setting. These are important experiences for students to have when they are considering graduate school.

McKay explained different selection processes used by different REU sites. At some sites, students are chosen because they have a specific skill needed on a research project, while others choose students they believe will benefit the most of the experience. McKay also suggested looking for summer research positions at national labs and corporations, in addition to the NSF and NIH sites.

Graduate student and former REU participant Kimberly Kreykes also spoke at the session. Kreykes went to a small college as an undergraduate and did a summer REU at UM's Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Science Department in the College of Engineering. Her REU experience was a major factor in her choosing AOSS at UM for graduate school.

In her candid advice, Kreykes revealed that the first summer she applied to REUs, she applied to and was rejected from eight REU sites. In some cases the rejections were extremely harsh. "It was good preparation for applying to graduate school," Kreykes said with a laugh.

Her second summer, after having more classes on her transcript, she was accepted at several REU sites and chose to come to UM. She encouraged students to apply for the friends they would make, for the research experience and for the experiences outside of the lab, including surviving rejections.

Kreykes advised students to be organized when asking for references from faculty or graduate student instructors (GSIs). She suggested presenting the reference with a list of addresses and contact names for each application and a typed explanation of interests and experiences that are relevant to the REU, including coursework. Said Kreykes. "Make it easy for them to write a good letter."