posted
There's a fairly large crowd of relativly smart people here so it seems like as good of a place as any to ask.
I'm looking at stuff to spend my next summer doing. (no i don't consider working night shift at sunoco again a choice.) This is many an internship of some kind or one of these NSF summer research things. Right now I think i'm leaning toward the research.
Anybody done anything like that? If so any thoughts ? good bad or othewise. Internship experiences are welcome as well.
posted
I did a SERS semester that turned into most of a year at Oak Ridge National Lab in Tennessee. That one was not through NSF, it was through DOE. It was a wonderful experience, and resulted in job opportunities for pretty much every one who participated (though I passed a full time job up). Even so, it looks really good on my résumé.
I also did research at my own university under a grant co-sponsored by the NSF and the NIH, but primarily under the NIH. This also looks pretty good on a résumé, but it didn't really lead to any contacts like the SERS semester did.
So, what did you want to know?
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posted
I have done both an reu and a DOE program (along with a few other similar type programs). Here's what I know and some extra things to think about.
1) REU is definately geared at getting minorities(including women) into the sciences. However, a lot of nonminorities do get positions.
2) There are sorta 2 types of REU. Sure, they're called the same thing but they are quite different experiences. The thing most people think about when they think REU is of places that are "REU sites". Or that's what I think they're called. These sites have lots of students come and have a program for these undergrads. A lot of times these programs have talks and even miniclasses. These are a great way to meet other students and such. However, what seems to be a less well known fact is that most profs with NSF grant money can request REU money for 1 or 2 students. This means if you are really interested in working with a specific advisor and he/she hasn't gotten REU money they often can by just filling out a form.
3) REU experiences are drastically different. To be honest mine sucked. However, I saw quite a few successful programs after mine and wished I'd been with one of those. I, personally, would have preferred to be at a REU site. However even then you need to be careful. If you can, and sometimes you can't, talk to previous REU students a prof has had and find out what they actually got to do.
4) The DOE program was a great experience for me as well. I worked at Argonne National Lab outside of Chicago. My experience with their program was pretty good. Students are chosen because there are projects to be done. So usually people had something to work on. Things to check out here are what the housing situations are like. That's the one thing I've heard people really complain about. There were lots of other students doing research at the lab while I was there which was nice since I wasn't from the area.
Basically when you're lookign for a program look for something that is obviously well organized. You're going to be there over your big school break so you don't want to be miserable because they didn't really plan out what was going to happen while you were there.
These experiences are excellent resume builders. Between these experiences and my other research experience I've had very positive results. Also realize that the people you will be working for are really interested that you learn something not that you output a great deal of work. Or at least this seems to be the norm. So don't worry about getting everything possible done and just work on learning something new.
What year are you in school? Jrs seem to be accepted more frequently than Srs and sophs. However, that is not a rule. If you are interested in grad school this is a great idea.
posted
I'm in my junior year. I was merely interested in hearing if anyone had done anything like this, and if they did, what they though of it. Would they (you) recomend it to someone?
I am slightly puzzled that these things don't seem to have much publicity. I just kind of stumbled across it.
Posts: 1621 | Registered: Oct 2001
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quote:Things to check out here are what the housing situations are like. That's the one thing I've heard people really complain about.
Yes! Although--to cross-contaminate this thread --this seemed in my case to be an ethnicity thing. They gave us a questionaire to fill out before assigning roommates, and then I got a roommate that was completely unlike me in every way. When I looked around, though, I noticed that blacks had unerringly been assigned to share apartments with other blacks, and my roommate had a Latino-sounding name. So not only, in my opinion, did they group us by ethnicity first, they guessed ethnicity from extremely superficial and stereotypical judgments of our names.
As a José, I simply must have more in common with a Raúl than with anybody else.
quote:This is many an internship of some kind or one of these NSF summer research things. Right now I think i'm leaning toward the research.
HollowEarth
I would recomend the NSF research programs over the corporate research internships, particularly if you are going to go to graduate school. Unless you can get an internship at a company you want to work for after graduation, because it's a great help in getting hired.
I went to a NSF mathematics program after my junior year of high school. I had to get recomendations from a teacher and a guidance counselor and pass a tough test to get in. The housing was typical U. of Chicago dorm rooms. A University of Chicago professor lectured us most days and we had grad students teach and advise us in small groups and individually. NSF paid for almost everything except for plane tickets which I saved for from my high school dish-washing job.
The program was great. I learned a lot of number theory that summer. I take it you're a junior in college, I'm just offering this to give a positive endorsement of NSF programs in general. Even if the program is not as rewarding for you as mine was for me, as Sarah said it is great resume fodder. Posts: 6316 | Registered: Jun 2003
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I did LARSS the summer between my freshman and sophomore years of college. I don't know what year you are, but NASA has several similar programs (for HS students, for grad students).
I enjoyed it. I think my project (in a polymers lab) wasn't as intricate as it could have been, but some people had more complex projects. It pays fairly well (cost of living near Langley is relatively low), and it's a great internship.
posted
My son is an undergraduate with a dual Chemistry/Biology major. He is also considering a summer research project (one out of Washington State, and one more focused on Biology). But hasn't done it yet, so I don't know what it will be like.
However, when we were discussing this, I mentioned it to my brother-in-law (who has a PhD in Chemistry), and he strongly suggested any kind of undergraduate research work. He said his REU got him set up for the full-tuition grant he got to do all his master's work at Princeton...
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posted
Well I've applied to these programs. Specifically, Stony Brook, University of Pittsburgh, University of Syracus, and the NNIN (national nanotechology infrastructure network) programs.
I think I'm qualified and should have a fairly good chance. I should know about the NNIN program on the 21st, so we'll see I guess.
Posts: 1621 | Registered: Oct 2001
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posted
I've done both REU and DOE programs, and I liked the DOE one better, and mostly echo what Sarahndipity said. Both kinds are HUGE resume boosters.
My REU was in Photosynthesis at Arizona State U. We were actually given student apartments with one roommate, which was much much nicer than a standard dorm room. It was a mostly positive experience, but I had to go above my prof's head in order to do actual research and not just grunt work (He was the newest prof doing this so he just didnt' understand yet.)
The DOE program I went to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. I could probably give one of the chemistry profs there a heads up for your application if you are interested.
He had me running an atomic force microscope for the summer. I actually got to see all my data presented at a symposium that was pretty cool.
My son sent in his app for the REU program at the University of Washington, and we hope to hear something before the end of the month. Kind of hard to make any summer plans until we know whether or not we need to plan to run him to Seattle.
AJ -- I know what an REU is (based on the above) but what is a DOE -- and what is the difference?
(the pay is actually pretty good.. if he does get accepted I can tell him where cheap apartments are in Richland, WA) I had a car, but if you don't mind the excercise it was a beautiful 30 minute bike ride along the Columbia river to work. You can get closer boarding opportunities too and apartments too. I of course took the cheapest apartment that I could which was only about $100 more/month than boarding with someone. I like to be able to be by myself if I want.
posted
No, he's going to a private college here in Kansas.
But he's hoping to get in the REU program in Seattle.
Even though he is 18, it will be the first time he has actually LIVED somewhere else for awhile (if he gets accepted) so I imagine it will be quite an adjustment.
You gave me a good idea though -- it he gets accepted I can get his bike fixed up for him to take with him to get around with. (He's very athletic).
I already promised to finance a laptop computer for him if they accept him....
posted
News is in, I'll be at the main Penn State campus working on "Continuous Production of Polymeric Nanowires in Microfluidic Devices".
This should be a good program, and its actually the one i wanted to attend when I applied so i'm quite happy about it.
Posts: 1621 | Registered: Oct 2001
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I went to a NSF (or is that "an NSF"...?) program in 1978...[old man's voice] back when we had to rub two sticks together just to get enough heat; back when you hoped you might get some time on the DECWRITER III attached to the university's PDP-11/34; and we liked it![/old man's voice]
It was a Boston University program, but I got to work at MIT in my Junior summer in High school, making superconducting Josephson junctions.
Living accomodations were at B.U.'s "Warren Towers," and worked out fine. I walked across "Smoots' Bridge" every day to get to the basement lab.
I would definitely recommend it!
Here are the mistakes I made (typical geek mistakes): I failed to stay in touch with the friends I made there, and I failed to make use of the professor contacts when I applied to MIT (and didn't get in). You should try to make different mistakes, if you can.
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--this seemed in my case to be an ethnicity thing. They gave us a questionaire to fill out before assigning roommates, and then I got a roommate that was completely unlike me in every way. When I looked around, though, I noticed that blacks had unerringly been assigned to share apartments with other blacks, and my roommate had a Latino-sounding name. So not only, in my opinion, did they group us by ethnicity first, they guessed ethnicity from extremely superficial and stereotypical judgments of our names. ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
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