Description

The Department of Physics and Astronomy at Rutgers University will host a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program in the summer of 2021. 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 next summer, how to contact us if you have questions, and how you can apply to the program. (There is also a poster you can download and print if desired.) We thank you for your interest and hope to see your application soon!

Special note: Due to the COVID pandemic, we will operate the program as a virtual REU site, with research mentorship, physics GRE preparation, and professional development activities provided virtually.

When?

The program will run for 10 weeks, from June 1 – August 6, 2021. (Prospective applicants for whom these dates are problematic are encouraged to contact us for guidance before submitting applications.)

Where?

The REU will be hosted (virtually) by the Department of Physics and Astronomy, which is located on the New Brunswick/Piscataway campus of Rutgers University, in central New Jersey.

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 up to five different areas:

• astronomy,
• biophysics,
• high energy and nuclear physics,
• nanophysics, and
• physics education.

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 eight 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 succeed as graduate school applicants, graduate students, and/or members of the workforce and will include preparation for the physics GRE subject test that features a significant demonstration component.

Each REU program participant will receive support in the form of

• a $6000 stipend, and
• payment of part or all of the costs of attending a relevant professional conference.

At any point after the end of the summer, participants who apply to and are admitted to Rutgers will be eligible for support from a SUPER-Grad (Summer Pipeline to Excellence at Rutgers Graduate) Fellowship in their first year of graduate school.

Who?

We anticipate being able to support 10 students in 2021. 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 2021. 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, along with instructions on where to upload those documents. (It will be helpful to your letter-writers if you can submit this initial application form sooner rather than later.)
• 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 summer 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 proceed on a rolling basis starting February 22; applicants are strongly encouraged to make sure all materials (including recommendation letters) are submitted as soon as possible. Offers of physics projects will be made on a rolling basis on or after February 26, and offers of astronomy projects will be made on a rolling basis on or after March 1; any student who receives an offer will be expected to accept or decline it within a week.