Research Experience for Undergraduates
Posted: November 3rd, 2009 | Author: goodrichr@cs.cofc.edu | Filed under: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »How would you like to meet other highly motivated and intelligent students who have an interest in Computer Science and related fields? What about going to graduate school? How about being paid for these things over the summer? The National Science Foundation supports these interesting alternatives to internships called Research Experience for Undergraduates which allow students to get a taste of the research life, experience how a different department is run, network with professors in the field as well as like-minded students, and get free housing, food, and a stipend while doing it! Interested? Check out the list of NSF REU Programs. But hurry, application deadlines are as early as December (but also as late as March). Also, if you aren’t of a Computer Science background but are still interested in a program like this, the NSF funds many other fields as well.
A funded research experience for undergraduates (REU) is like an internship for students who want to see what being in a graduate research lab would be like. Think, solve, create, meet great people and have fun. Oh yea… and get paid.
Graduate schools offer the REUs to help you understand what graduate school would be like, and to try to recruit you into their programs. Federal agencies are interested in producing well-trained computer scientists with graduate degrees.
Search for and select multiple opportunities. Apply for more than one. Use your advisor for a letter of reference if needed. Also check for undergraduate, summer, research opportunities sponsored by the Department of Energy, National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense and other places as well.