Research Experiencefor Undergraduate

(REU) vs

Internships

What is REU?• Research Experiences for Undergrads (REU)• Funded by National Science Foundation (NSF)•Only available to citizens/permanent residents of USA• Cutting edge summer research at universities/institutes and

some liberal arts Colleges: often~ 10 students per program•Multidisciplinary fields of research•Housing and modest stipend ($400-$500/week) provided•Usually 8-10 weeks long•Acceptance can be competitive

Why REU•Doing research in an area that is interesting to you

•Your research could lead to publication(s)

•Exploring new places and meeting great scientists

•Research experience will help in making informed career decisions

• It is great experience to list on your resume for graduate school as well as job applications

Who is Funding REU?

•National Science Foundation (NSF) is funding most of the REU programs in the US.

http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/reu_search.jsp

What Do You Need to Do?•You will need to offer a convincing argument for why you are interested. You just need to “sell” your skills.•Good grades and good references are important•Many of the REU programs prefer the under-represented groups/schools.

•Community Colleges are a big source of great REU eligible students•Applications are usually due January-April for the following summer.•Find a program whose research area matches your interests.

•Contact the listed primary or secondary contact person on the website.

- Are they taking students this summer?- What are they looking for in potential

students?•Find faculty who can write strong letters of recommendation

•Work on your statement of academic, career, and research goals. How do you anticipate the REU help you achieve your goals?

•Do your homework and read about the REU projects you are interested in.

•Contact a faculty member, at every REU program you applied to, whose research you are interested in and ask about skills he/she is looking for in the REU research student.

Internship•Are defined as supervised, career-related work experiences leading to development of knowledge, skills, and abilities needed in a particular profession.• Institutions invest a great deal of effort and resources in training internship awardees and usually hire them once done with their degrees if the awardee was proven to be a good fit with them.•An internship is usually for one semester at a time.•Could be paid or unpaid internship•Full-time requires working 40 hr/week•Part-time requires working 20 hr/week

•Summer Internships in Chicago:•http://www.internships.com/chicago-il•Other Places:•http://www.bio-rad.com/en-us/corporate/summer-internship•https://careers.state.gov/intern•http://www.summerinternships.com/internships/•http://www.ciee.org/intern/

•http://www.internships.com/search/posts•https://career.berkeley.edu/Internships/IntCurrent.stm•The 5 Best Websites to Find Internships:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/her-campus/the-5-best-websites-to-fi_b_2860722.html

How Can Faculty Help? •Recognize Students’ interests, abilities and potential•Help searching for the best REU/Internship that matches your

students’ interests, abilities and potential• If you cannot write recommendation letters which highlight the

student’s strengths, find faculty members that can and communicate with them.•Communicate with the REU/Internship institutions your students

applied to• Send your students to institutions where the you have contacts

and known credibility.