National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates

National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates
Name	Research Experiences for Undergraduates
Caption	NSF REU participant at a field station
Established	1987
Administered by	National Science Foundation
Country	United States

National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates

The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program is a national initiative funding hands-on research placements for undergraduate students across the United States, supporting projects at universities, national laboratories, museums, and field stations linked to institutions such as Harvard University, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, and California Institute of Technology. REU sites span disciplines and partner with organizations including Smithsonian Institution, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Smith College, often aligning with collections or facilities like the Field Museum, American Museum of Natural History, Yale Peabody Museum, and New York Botanical Garden.

Overview

REU provides summer and academic-year research experiences funded through awards to host institutions such as Princeton University, Columbia University, University of Michigan, University of Texas at Austin, and University of Washington, engaging students with mentors from centers like National Institutes of Health, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The program connects participants to professional networks including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Sigma Xi, American Chemical Society, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and American Physical Society, and fosters pathways to graduate study at institutions like Yale University, University of Chicago, Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, and Brown University.

History and Evolution

REU was initiated in the late 20th century, expanding alongside federal science initiatives affecting entities such as Presidency of Ronald Reagan, Presidency of Bill Clinton, and policies influenced by commissions like the National Science Board and reports from the National Research Council. Early cohorts included partnerships with institutions such as Cornell University, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State University, University of Florida, and University of Wisconsin–Madison, evolving through collaborations with agencies like the Department of Energy, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Programmatic shifts mirrored trends championed by leaders from universities including George Washington University, University of Minnesota, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, and Michigan State University.

Program Structure and Components

Typical REU sites are hosted by departments at Brown University, Northwestern University, Rice University, Vanderbilt University, or Washington University in St. Louis and include components such as mentored research, seminars featuring speakers from Google, Microsoft Research, IBM Research, Facebook AI Research, and Intel Corporation, professional development workshops tied to societies like American Mathematical Society, Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, Ecological Society of America, and Society for Neuroscience, and culminate in presentations at venues associated with conferences such as American Geophysical Union, Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics Annual Meeting, NeurIPS, and American Chemical Society National Meeting. Practical experiences occur at field sites including Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Kitt Peak National Observatory, Palomar Observatory, and Haleakala Observatory.

Eligibility and Application Process

Eligibility criteria are set by host institutions like City College of New York, San Diego State University, University of Puerto Rico, Northern Arizona University, and Howard University, often targeting undergraduates affiliated with colleges such as Spelman College, Morehouse College, Hampshire College, Wellesley College, and Amherst College. Applications typically require transcripts, statements, and recommendations from faculty at schools including Oberlin College, Grinnell College, Bryn Mawr College, Whitman College, and Kenyon College, and may prioritize candidates from programs like McNair Scholars Program, TRIO, Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation, and collaborations with organizations such as Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, National Society of Black Engineers, American Indian Science and Engineering Society, Association of American Universities and state systems like the California State University network.

Funding and Administration

REU awards are administered by directorates within National Science Foundation and are budgeted through grants to campuses such as University of Colorado Boulder, University of Arizona, Arizona State University, Clemson University, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; funds support stipends, housing, travel, and research expenses. Administration involves program officers and panels drawing reviewers from institutions like Rutgers University, University of Maryland, College Park, Lehigh University, University of Notre Dame, and Case Western Reserve University and works with contracting offices interacting with entities such as National Science Board, Office of Management and Budget, Congressional Research Service, and oversight from bodies including Government Accountability Office.

Impact and Outcomes

Assessments of REU outcomes reference longitudinal studies connecting participants to graduate enrollment at institutions like Stanford University School of Engineering, MIT School of Science, Berkeley School of Engineering, Columbia University Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, and Caltech Division of Engineering and Applied Science. Evaluations published by scholars at University of Michigan School of Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education, University of California, Los Angeles, University of Minnesota Humphrey School, and University of Wisconsin–Madison link REU participation to increased retention in STEM fields represented by organizations such as American Physical Society, American Chemical Society, American Society for Microbiology, Biophysical Society, and Optical Society of America. Notable metrics include publications coauthored by undergraduates with mentors at Nature Communications, Science Advances, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Physical Review Letters, and Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Notable Sites and Examples

Representative REU sites and host programs include Scripps Institution of Oceanography REU, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution REU, National Radio Astronomy Observatory REU, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory REU, and university-hosted programs at University of California, Santa Barbara, University of California, Irvine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Purdue University. Other exemplary sites have operated at Smithsonian Institution units such as National Museum of Natural History, at national labs like Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories, and in partnership with research centers including Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Rockefeller University, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

Category:National Science Foundation programs