Frequently Asked Questions

REU stands for Research Experience for Undergraduates. It is a program run by the National Science Foundation to encourage and fund undergraduate participation in scientific research during the summer break from classes. REU's are operated at many institutions around the country. You can find programs in most sciences, mathematics, and even some other fields. The NSF REU web site has lists of the available sites and subjects, but each program is unique and has its own application process. Typical pay for an REU is $2500-$4000 (on which you often need not pay taxes) for 8-12 weeks of work. The programs often cover housing and transportation to and from the city if you live elsewhere.

The majority of students in REUs are entering their senior year of college, but there is no reason not to do one as early as the summer after your freshman year.

REUs are not the only way to do research over the summer. The national labs (Los Alamos, Livermore, Argonne, etc.) have a similar program called ERLUF. Many universities and colleges run their own summer undergraduate research programs, like Caltech's SURF. At some schools - especially your home institution - you may be able to find a professor who has some money in their grant to fund a student, but you will have to take the initiative and knock on a few doors.

Summer research is a great way to see what life is really like as a research scientist and to see if the profession is right for you. If you are applying to graduate school it is a huge point in your favor on your application. It also gives you a low-risk way to explore potential places for graduate study. Writing a thesis on research you have done is a very worthwhile experience; deep knowledge of a particular problem is different from the shallow general knowledge you acquire in courses. But even if none of these scenarios applies to you, it is potentially a very fun way to earn money over the summer.

There are pros and cons to each option. If you have a few summers to play with, I'd recommend going elsewhere after freshman year and staying home after your sophomore and junior years.

Going to another school gives you the opportunity to see another kind of institution; I attend a small liberal-arts college but I was able to experience a large university as well as a non-degree-granting research institute. You may be able to work on type of research than is not done at your home school. REU's give you the option of spending a summer in almost any part of the country you choose, and they even reimburse you for the travel.

On the other hand, staying at your home institution has advantages as well. Professors in your own department who know you might be more willing to trust you with high-level aspects of the project (contributing to a journal article, designing an apparatus) than scientists who you have just met you. If you are writing a thesis on your work it is immensely more convenient to work for someone at your own school. You can continue to participate for more than one summer if neccesary, or even during the school year, which allows you to get more deeply involved in your project. You gain a much greater appreciation for the big picture behind your research when you don't have to abandon it after 10 weeks. When writing your thesis you will frequently need to contact your advisor or you might wish to take more data, both of which may be impossible if your work was at another school.

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