MEM-C undergraduate research opportunities are focused on providing STEM students with opportunities to gain exposure, experience and insight related to viable and relevant career pathways focused on materials research. These programs are open to all eligible applicants, regardless of race, sex or other identity including military members/veterans and students whose home institutions have more limited research resources and opportunities, such as primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs) and 2-year colleges.
Eligibility:
- Applicants must be U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or permanent residents of the United States who will be 18 years or older by the start date of the program to which they apply.
- Prior to the start of the REU program, applicants should have completed 1 year of college-level, STEM-oriented coursework (e.g. coursework in math, chemistry, physics, electrical engineering, materials science, and/or computer science).
Academic-Year Research Accelerator for Undergraduates (AYRA REU) Program
If selected, you will be embedded in one of the MEM-C labs for 2-3 quarters during the regular academic year. You will work with graduate students and faculty to develop a research project, gain training in relevant techniques and instrumentation, collect data, write-up your results and craft presentations. AYRA students participate in seminars on undergraduate research and professional development and are also included in MEM-C IRG meetings and seminars. AYRA REU students apply to present their research at the campus-wide UW Undergraduate Research Symposium during Spring Quarter.
Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program
If selected, you will be embedded in one of the MEM-C labs for 9 weeks during Summer Quarter. You will work with a graduate student and faculty to develop a research project, gain training in relevant techniques and instrumentation, and collect data, culminating in the preparation of a poster summarizing your research results to be presented at the end-of-program Summer Research Poster Session. REU students participate in a weekly seminar on undergraduate research covering topics such as research ethics, writing a research abstract, and making a scientific poster. Students will participate in tours of other labs and a weekly materials science journal club, in which students take turns giving a literature presentation on a published research paper assigned by their mentor.
