Research Experiences for Undergraduates

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Program Highlights

  • 10 week summer research program, May 28-August 2, 2019
  • Nationally and internationally known participating faculty
  • Research projects available in wide range of areas
  • Interesting and informative professional development program
  • Opportunity to interact with the local chemical community
  • $5,200 stipend for the 10-week program
  • On-campus housing and meals included
  • Enjoyable social program
  • Simple web-based application, Click here to apply
  • Deadline for application: February 28, 2019 (or until positions are filled)

Program Director: Professor Anna Gudmundsdottir
Email: Anna.Gudmundsdottir@uc.edu
Tel: 513-556-3380

Administrative Coordinator: Ms. Kim Carey
Email: kim.carey@uc.edu
Tel: 513-556-0293

REU Email Address

ucchemreu@gmail.com

Program Description

The REU program in Chemistry has two important focal points:

  1. research and the development of the research skills of our REU students, and
  2. the educational development of our REU students as emerging professionals

Students accepted into our REU program will experience the excitement and challenges of conducting research, while developing as independent scientists. Each student will have close contact with a faculty mentor in their general area of interest as an important means of achieving this goal. They will also benefit from interacting with other research group members including graduate students who are similar in age and background. The laboratory projects that are available to our students span a broad spectrum of research in chemistry. Each project has been designed to obtain tangible results within the ten-week summer session. At the same time, our projects are sufficiently open-ended so that our students may pursue additional aspects as time permits. We also encourage publication of our students' results — many of our prior students have co-authored publications and made presentations at national meetings as a result of their summer research here. Below is a link to the participating faculty in the program, as well as their research interests and planned projects.

Our second goal is to contribute to the educational and professional development of the students accepted into our program. An important aspect will be a discussion series that will cover a range of topics of importance in an informal atmosphere. There will be two sessions each week held as lunch workshops, when our students would normally be taking a lunch break, to minimize disruption to research. These discussion sessions will focus on topics ranging from research skills to professional development skills to broad issues of importance in research. In all of these, active participation by our REU students will be strongly encouraged. The summer will conclude with a poster session highlighting the activities and results of our REU students, with faculty and graduate students from throughout the department in attendance. The student making the best poster presentation will receive the John J. Alexander prize consisting of a plaque and monetary award.

A stipend of $5,200 will be awarded to each of the students in the program, paid in three installments during the summer. In addition, we will provide housing and meals on campus at the University of Cincinnati for our REU students. Some travel support to and from Cincinnati will be available, as will some funds for travel to a regional or national meeting in the year following the REU program, to present research findings arising from the 10 weeks in the program. We also have plans for an enjoyable social program for our students, as outlined in the link to the left.

The application consists of background information about the applicant, a statement outlining his or her interest in the program and long term professional goals, a transcript of college/university coursework, and two letters of recommendation from faculty or others knowing the applicant as a chemistry major. The focus of the program is on students who will have completed their junior year in an undergraduate chemistry degree program by the beginning of summer, 2019, and plan to graduate within a year thereafter. Applications from students with a less extensive background (e.g. having completed their freshman or sophomore years in a chemistry degree program) will be considered. Applications from students in underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged. All applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. The links on the left will lead you to the application form, which may be completed and submitted online or printed out and mailed in. Participants will be selected from the applicant pool by a faculty committee. In keeping with National Science Foundation (NSF) guidelines, priority will be given to those applicants currently not enrolled at the University of Cincinnati.

Questions? Do not hesitate to call or email Dr. Gudmundsdottir at any time with your questions about the program. Thanks.