Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) - Summer 2009

University of Minnesota
Undergraduate Research Program
in the Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences

     A ten-week summer research program administered by the Center for Cognitive Sciences and funded by the National Science Foundation and the University of Minnesota is open to a maximum of 20 undergraduates.

Program Goals. The general program goals are:

• To give qualified undergraduates the opportunity to learn more about graduate studies and advanced research in biobehavioral and cognitive sciences.
• To provide the opportunity for students to identify their focal interests through direct experience and exposure to the many areas of research in the behavioral and cognitive sciences.
• To persuade participants that a career in these scientific areas offers an exciting challenge, that such careers offer many personal and intellectual rewards, and that they are fully capable of such careers.
• To increase the overall numbers and diversity of students entering research careers.

Activities. Students will engage in following types of research related activities:

• Join a faculty member's research team for active research involvement.
• Participate in a multidisciplinary seminar three times a week to learn about the wide range of research areas in which faculty are engaged.
• Attend scholarly, cultural, and social activities. Some of these are planned to bring together participants in summer undergraduate research programs from a variety of disciplines.

Program Description.

• This program requires a full time commitment from the participants.
• The primary component of the program is research. Students function as active members of a faculty mentor's research team. This activity alone may involve 40 hours per week, with exact scheduling dependent upon the demands of the research projects and may include evenings and weekends.
• Another component is a research seminar held three times a week. These seminars include presentations by faculty and others about their research interests and career paths. Additional sessions include workshops on research ethics and integrity, technical writing, informational meetings on the mechanics of applying to and selecting graduate programs, and student initiated activities and oral presentations by the participants.
• Each participant submits a written report on their research, gives an oral presentation to the group, and presents a poster at an all-programs symposium.
• Group activities include laboratory tours, visits to other research facilities, and cultural and social events. • Participants attend optional seminars offered jointly with other undergraduate summer research programs.

Faculty.

• Faculty mentors are drawn from the departments of Psychology, Child Development, Educational Psychology, Psychiatry, Speech-Language-Hearing Science, Computer Science, Kinesiology, Neurology, Neuroscience, and other related disciplines.
• A detailed description of faculty research interests is included in the application packet which will be available by the week of November 3, 2008 on this web site: http://www.cogsci.umn.edu/REU/REU.htm.

Eligibility.

• This program is open to students from all colleges and universities.
• Preference is given to those students who will complete their third year in spring 2009.
• Students who will have completed only their first year of college and those who will graduate by September 2009 are NOT eligible.

Financial Support. The following financial support is provided by the program:

• A stipend of $4000
• Room and board costs at a University of Minnesota dormitory
• Tuition and fees for the course associated with the seminar portion of the program
• Some travel expenses may be covered depending on the availability of funding

Program Directors.

Dr. Celia Wolk Gershenson gersh001@umn.edu
Dr. Herbert L. Pick, Jr. herbpick @umn.edu

For additional information or requests write to:

Summer Undergraduate Research Program
Center for Cognitive Sciences
205 Elliott Hall
75 East River Road
Minneapolis, MN 55455-0344

or via email cogsci@umn.edu

     You may address specific questions regarding the program to the program director,
Dr. Celia Wolk Gershenson gersh001@umn.edu or by mail to the address listed above.  The preferred and most efficient form of communication is email.

     The program will be held from early June through the first or second week of August. Specific dates will be included in the application material.

Application materials available by Nov. 3, 2008
Application deadline: February 6, 2009
Notification no later than April 6, 2009