 Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) - Summer 2010
University of Minnesota Research Experience for Undergraduates
In the Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences
June 7 –August 13, 2010
Overview
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Application Deadline: February 5, 2010
Notification: By April 12, 2010
Overview of the program
This intensive ten-week program is open to up to 20 undergraduates (pending program funding) who plan to or are considering pursuing research-oriented graduate studies in the behavioral sciences, cognitive sciences, and mental health. The University of Minnesota offers students an ideal opportunity to explore their future options in an intellectually challenging and socially rewarding context. The program is funded by the National Science Foundation and the University of Minnesota.
Program Goals
The general program goals are:
- To give qualified undergraduates the opportunity to preview some of the experiences of a first year graduate student and to engage in advanced research in cognitive sciences, behavioral sciences, and mental health.
- To become acquainted with the collaborative and networking components of research and graduate studies.
- To provide the opportunity for students to identify their focal interests through direct experience and exposure to the many areas of research in these disciplines.
- To increase the overall numbers and diversity of students entering research careers.
- To persuade participants that a career in these scientific areas offers an exciting challenge.
- To demonstrate to participants that they are fully capable of such careers and that such careers offer many personal and intellectual rewards.
Activities
Students will be involved in three types of research related activities under the direction of University of Minnesota faculty.
- They will join a faculty mentor’s research team for active research involvement.
- They will participate in multi-disciplinary seminars and workshops held three to four times a week.
- They will participate in scholarly, cultural, and social activities together with the participants in this program and the participants in other undergraduate summer research programs on campus.
Program Description
RESEARCH
Participants work as active members of a faculty mentor’s research team, working with their mentor, graduate students, and other lab members. Typically, participants will work most closely with graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and lab coordinators. The extent to which research time is spent with the different members of the research team varies from lab to lab. This activity alone may involve 40 hours per week, including some evenings and weekends. The exact scheduling is dependent upon the varying demands of the research projects.
SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS
Seminars are held three days per week. During the first weeks, faculty members give presentations on their research interests and activities. During the last weeks, program participants report on the research in which they are engaged. Other sessions include workshops on research integrity and ethics, technical writing, panel discussions with current graduate students, workshops on the preparation of oral and written research reports and posters, and information on applying to graduate school. Time is set aside for seminars initiated by the program participants. Arrangements are made to visit research facilities within and outside of the University.
ALL-PROGRAM ACTIVITIES
Several educational and social activities are planned that include participants from all Summer Undergraduate Research Programs. Also, participants have the opportunity to attend seminars and related activities offered by other summer research programs. A symposium and poster session that includes students from the various Summer Undergraduate Research programs is held on one of the last days of the session.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Group activities such as excursions to cultural and social events are planned for the participants in this and other programs.
Housing
All participants are expected to reside in a University of Minnesota dormitory. One dormitory (Comstock Hall) is dedicated to housing participants in undergraduate summer research programs and other academic groups. This arrangement facilitates exchange, discussion and sharing of research experiences.
Eligibility
Preference is given to students who will have completed their third year of college by the beginning of the program. Students who will have completed their first year and those who will graduate by Fall 2010 are not eligible for this program. An effort will be made to include participants from different colleges and universities, with a variety of research interests, and levels of experience. This program accepts U.S. citizens and resident aliens only. International students are not eligible for admission to the program.
Financial information
- Participants receive a stipend of $4000 for the ten-week program. Details on sources of funding will be included in the information sent to those accepted into the program.
- Room and board costs in University dormitory housing are covered by program funding. The dormitory rooms set aside for the research programs are doubles. Detailed information on housing will be included in the information sent to those accepted into the program.
- Tuition and fees for the course associated with the seminars are covered by program funds.
- Limited funds are available to defray some costs for long distance travel. Details will be included in the information sent to those accepted into the program.
NOTE: Some of these benefits may be taxable. Consult the financial aid advisor at your home school on the issue of taxability.
Application materials
A complete application includes an on-line registration and hard copies of the application form, letters of recommendation from two faculty members, and a transcript. Please see instructions and application checklist for details (posted by November 3).
Selection Criteria
Participants will be selected on the basis of their answers to questions 16 and 17 on the application form, faculty recommendations, transcripts, and the match of the applicants’ research interests with those of participating faculty.
Selection Process
Typically over 200 applications are received. Selection is a two-stage process. First, all completed applications are read and evaluated by a screening committee consisting of the program directors and coordinators. Second, those applications that are ranked in the top 40 are given further consideration and forwarded to potential faculty mentors for final selection. Please do NOT contact the mentors directly. Contacting mentors directly will have no effect on the probability of you being accepted into the program.
Participating faculty
Potential faculty mentors are drawn from a wide variety of research areas such as Child Development; Cognitive Science, Computer Science, Human Factors; Ecology, Evolution and Behavior; Educational Psychology, Kinesiology, Neuroscience, Psychiatry, Behavioral Pharmacology, Psychology, Speech/Language/Hearing Science (Communication Disorders), and related areas. Please refer to the list of potential faculty mentors included in the program information. A brief description of their research activities and some relevant references are found on the REU web site. Please base your decisions on this information. You may choose only those potential mentors whose names appear on the REU Summer Research website list.
Notification process
1) Receipt of applications: We do not have the staff resources to acknowledge receipt of applications. Therefore, you will not be informed that we have received your completed application. You will be informed if your application is incomplete (e.g., missing transcript, letter of recommendation) shortly after the deadline and will be given the opportunity to provide the missing material so that your application can be considered along with the others. In other words, you may assume that your application is complete if you do not receive a communication from us.
2) Final decision: All applicants will be informed via e-mail as to their status (rejection, waiting list, or acceptance into the program) by April 12, 2010.
Questions about the program should be directed to the program directors, preferably by email. Dr. Celia Wolk Gershenson can be reached at gersh001@umn.edu; Dr. Herbert Pick can be reached at herbpick@umn.edu. Please contact ONLY ONE of the directors.
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