FAQ

Program

Selected undergraduates will participate in basic research during a ten-week summer program on the campus of the University of Washington. Each student will be matched with a faculty advisor. Students will spend the ten weeks working with the advisor and the advisor's group, and participating in a weekly lecture series on research opportunities in physics. At the end of the summer, students will prepare a short summary paper and make a presentation on their research efforts.

Dates

The 2024 program will run from June 17 - August 23, 2024.

Location

The program will be held at the University of Washington's Seattle campus. Seattle offers the culture and convenience of a major metropolitan area, with many things for visitors to see and do. There are excellent outdoor recreation opportunities: the city is close to the Cascade and Olympic Mountain ranges (including the North Cascades, Mt. Rainier, and Olympic National Parks). Seattle is located on Puget Sound and bordered by Lake Washington and Lake Union.

Program Support

Program support for 2024 will include the following:

Eligibility

We will give preference to applicants who will have finished their junior years by Summer, 2024. Women and minority group members are especially encouraged to apply. The UW Physics and Astronomy building is modern and ADA-friendly.

We can accept applications only from US citizens and permanent residents of the US ("green card" holder).

Admission is competitive.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What are the program dates?

A: This year's program will run from June 17 - August 23, 2024.

Q: My school starts again before August 23; can I change the dates?

A: We urge all accepted students to make every effort to attend for the designated period, June 17 - August 23. In cases where this is impossible due to conflicts with school terms, we can adjust the beginning and ending dates, forward or backward, by up to one week. Attendance for a full 10-week period, however, is required.

Q: Who is eligible to apply?

A: Because of the way our funding works, we can accept applications only from US citizens and permanent residents of the US ("green card" holder).

Q: How do I apply?

A: Please go to the application page for more information.

Q: What's the application deadline?

A: The deadline for all application materials (including references) is 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time on February 22, 2024.

Q: Is a transcript required?

A: You will need to attach an unofficial transcript to the online application. If you are selected to participate in our program, at that time we will need an official transcript sent by your college registrar.

Q: How are recommendation letters submitted?

A: When you complete the Academic Jobs Online application form, you will be asked for the email addresses of two professors willing to send recommendation letters. They will then receive an email from academicjobsonline.org about the procedure for submitting their letters electronically. If for some reason electronic submission of letters is not possible, your letter writers should contact us at uwreu@phys.washington.edu.

Q: What kinds of projects are there?

A: This year's project list can be found here and may be updated as necessary. The list of projects from last year is a good representation of the kind of variety of projects to expect this year.

Q: When will I know if I've been selected?

A: The 2024 REU class was selected in March, 2024.

Q: How will applications be evaluated?

A: Our directors will look at all the application materials: the transcript, the GPA, the letters of recommendation, and the application itself. All applications (including references) that have been submitted by 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time on February 22, 2024 will receive full consideration.

Questions? Write to us at uwreu@phys.washington.edu