Summer 2011 - Undergraduate Research Fellowships Announcement
National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site
INTERDISCIPLINARY WATER SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING
Virginia Tech – Application Deadline March 07, 2011 (Monday)
Program Description: Applications are invited from qualified and motivated undergraduate students (freshmen, sophomores, juniors and rising seniors – engineering and science majors) from all U.S. colleges/universities to participate in a 10-week summer research in interdisciplinary water sciences and engineering at Virginia Tech. U.S. citizenship is required. The research program is funded through the National Science Foundation – Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF REU) program. This NSF REU site has successfully hosted a total of 26 undergraduate researchers in summers of 2007, 2008 and 2009. Research reports for the 2007 - 2009 participants are documented in the NSF REU Proceedings of Research and posted here: 2007 2008 2009
Successful applicants (hereafter referred to as REU fellows) will join one of the ongoing research projects in water sciences and engineering and conduct research under the supervision of Virginia Tech faculty and graduate students. Research projects address issues related to sustainable management of water resources and water infrastructure, and facilitate opportunities or field research, laboratory work and testing of theoretical concepts. See Appendix 1 and Appendix 2 for list of faculty advisors and typical 2011 summer research projects, respectively. The summer research program is complemented by other professional activities. For example, REU fellows will attend weekly forums that facilitate dynamic and interactive discussion on research methods and various facets of water sciences and engineering. Speakers at these forums will include VT faculty members, graduate students and experts from water industry and government. These weekly forums provide an excellent opportunity to REU fellows to learn about commonalities between their various research projects, interact with each other and with research mentors. REU fellows will make frequent presentations to their peers about their research progress and ultimately prepare a research report in collaboration with their research mentors suitable for conference presentation and/or publishing in a refereed journal or other appropriate publications.
Social interaction and networking is a major goal of the program. Several social activities are organized to encourage informal personal interaction between REU participants and the research team and the larger university community. See Appendix 3 for possible recreational activities.
Financial Support: The 10-week internship will begin on May 30 (arrival day - May 29) at Virginia Tech and end on August 5, 2011 (departure day – August 6). The research internship includes a stipend of $450/week, subsistence costs (dormitory and meals) and round trip travel expenses to Virginia Tech.
Application: Application Deadline is March 07, 2011. Submit via surface mail the following documents:
- Application Form (see next page)
- A 300-word essay about your interest in water/environment research and professional goals, and indicate top two choices of summer research project and include a brief justification (see Appendix 2). The justification should be part of your essay.
- Two letters of recommendation in sealed envelops. Letters should address candidate’s motivation, enthusiasm, reliability, team-work, and personality.
- College transcripts in sealed envelop from the university registrar’s office.
Successful applicants will be announced by March 21, 2011. For questions, please contact:
Dr. Vinod K Lohani, NSF REU Program Director, e-mail: vlohani@vt.edu; Phone: (540)231-9545
