Description

Learning outcomes

After this activity, students will:

1. Be able to locate and evaluate REU opportunities that are interesting and/or useful to them
2. Be comfortable evaluating and explaining the benefits and challenges of REU opportunities, and relating these opportunities to their own goals
3. Appreciate the benefits of working collectively as a class to produce a shared resource
4. Have built confidence in their ability to pursue an REU opportunity, should they wish to do so  

Resource components

The module comprises two components:

1. A short presentation (REU_community_spreadsheet_presentaiton_v1.pptx) that introduces students to searching for REUs online, and describes the community spreadsheet of resources of interest.
2. A spreadsheet (REU_community_spreadsheet.xlsx) where students can fill out opportunities of interest for sharing within the class (and future classes). This spreadsheet does not detail the application process, but focuses on broad categories that will allow students to assess their interests and eligibility. I have included four examples on the spreadsheet, meant to provide a range of locations, as well as eligibility requirements. I intentionally included opportunities for students who may fall through the cracks of many NSF REU opportunities (undocumented students, international students). Recent graduates (within the “College level” category) would also be a great category to intentionally include opportunities for.

Activity details

This activity (~ 30-35 minutes in total) can be conducted as part of a class where students have access to computers, and is completed entirely during class time. The activity works in remote, hybrid and in-person formats and can be run in the timeframe below:

1. Presentation by the instructor and questions from students (10 minutes)
2. Students independently search for opportunities and fill out the spreadsheet (15 minutes)
3. Students talk in pairs about the opportunity or opportunities they have identified, including why they have chosen that opportunity, how it would help them work towards their academic and/or personal goals, and the challenges they envisage when applying (10 minutes)
4. Students look at the class-level spreadsheet resource, checking for others who have identified the same resource and additional opportunities that they may be interested in (5 minutes)
5. This activity can then be followed by posting the class resource on your Learning Management System. This could be the basis for interested students finding each other for peer support in developing and reviewing applications.

User notes

1. This resource was developed to be run within an introductory Ecology course, so the example opportunities are geared around this discipline.
2. This resource was developed with students from my home institution, Cal Poly Pomona, in mind. Therefore, I designed the “location category” column (designed to quickly sort opportunities regionally) knowing that some of my students have family obligations that make it difficult to pursue REUs far from home. These categories (Local (Southern California), State (California), Interstate, International) can be easily adapted to your home institution, or this column can be excluded.

Thanks to

My fantastic REU students Aloha Kapono & Natasha Edwin who appear in the photos used in this module during their time with the Organization for Tropical Studies LSAMP REU, and taught me so much about REUs!

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