Dear prospective applicant:
Thanks to funding from the National Science Foundation, the Department of
Physics and Astronomy at Rutgers University will host an on-campus Research
Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program in the summer of
2013. This page answers basic questions about the program, but we also invite
you to visit the links above to learn more about about which projects may be available this summer, what Rutgers and central New Jersey have to offer, how to
contact us if you have questions, and how you can
apply to the program. We thank you for your
interest and hope to see your application soon!
Sincerely yours,
Andrew
Baker, Sunil Somalwar, & Girsh
Blumberg (REU executive committee)
When?
The program will run from May 28 - August 1, 2013. Participants will
generally arrive on campus on May 26 and move out on August 2.
Where?
The REU will be hosted by the Department of Physics and Astronomy on the
New Brunswick/Piscataway campus of Rutgers University in central New Jersey.
Students will live in on-campus housing alongside undergraduate participants
in other summer research programs and two graduate student resident advisors.
Rutgers is conveniently located on the main train line between New York and
Philadelphia (about an hour away from each) and offers easy driving access
to beaches, mountains, and other recreational opportunities.
What?
The focus of the REU program, as its name suggests, is research.
Each participant will work on a different cutting-edge research project
with a faculty mentor and the other members of his/her research group.
Projects will be drawn from three different
areas:
- astronomy,
- nuclear and high energy physics, and
- condensed matter physics.
Participants will present the results of their projects at an undergraduate
research symposium at the end of the summer, and as appropriate will be
encouraged to continue to work on their projects beyond the end of the summer,
and to present their results at a relevant professional conference within six
months of the end of the program.
In addition to working on their individual research projects, participants
will meet together for one afternoon each week for a common set of
professional development activities. These sessions will focus on conveying
the skills and knowledge needed to apply to, gain admission to, and succeed
in graduate school and will include preparation for the physics GRE subject
test that features a significant demonstration component.
The summer will be punctuated by three all-day field trips to nearby points
of scientific interest (tentatively, Bell Labs at Alcatel-Lucent, Brookhaven
National Laboratory, and the Hayden Planetarium of the American Museum of
Natural History).
Each REU program participant will receive support in the form of
- a $5000 stipend,
- free on-campus housing,
- payment of all of the costs of travel to and from Rutgers, and
- payment of part or all of the costs of attending a relevant professional
conference.
Participants will also have access to all athletic and recreational
facilities on the Rutgers campus while they are in residence.
Who?
For 2013, we will have funding to support up to seven students (this will
increase to eight in 2014). We welcome applications from all U.S. citizens
and permanent residents who will have completed 2 to 3 years of undergraduate
coursework but not yet have earned B.A. or B.S. degrees as of June 2013.
Students with limited opportunities for research at their home institutions,
women, members of underrepresented groups, and veterans are encouraged to
apply.
Current Rutgers students are not encouraged to apply, and are instead
invited to explore the opportunities for research that are uniquely available
to our undergraduates via the Aresty Research Center.
How?
An application
for the REU program comprises four elements:
- A completed online application form.
Once this form is filled out and submitted, you will be assigned a
unique tracking number that is needed for uploading the other elements
of your application. The tracking number will be automatically emailed
to you and the two people writing letters of recommendation on your behalf.
- A personal statement.
This should be uploaded as a PDF file that is not more than two pages in
length. It should describe your research interests, your professional
goals, your background and experience, and your hopes for what you'll get
out of participating in the REU program (more details are provided
here). It's OK if your research interests
and/or career plans aren't absolutely set in stone, or if you're
officially majoring in a subject other than physics or astronomy, or if
you don't have any previous research experience, as long as you explain
clearly and specifically how participating in this REU program
will help you grow professionally.
- A current transcript.
This should be uploaded as a PDF file; it can be a scanned version of
your official transcript or an electronic version of your unofficial
transcript.
- Two letters of recommendation.
Ideally, these should come from math and/or science faculty members
at your home institution who know you at least somewhat well; the
letters should be uploaded by your recommenders as PDF files.
(If you are nervous about asking your professors for yet another set of
recommendation letters, tell them it's OK if they reuse letters that
they sent to other REU programs; we promise not to get bent out of
shape if we see lots of references to "University of X" and none to
Rutgers.)
Review of applications will begin on February 22; applicants are
strongly encouraged to make sure all materials (including recommendation
letters) are submitted by this date. Offers will be made on a rolling basis
beginning on or after March 1.
Last edited February 11, 2013.