About the REU Program
The participants experience activities that characterize research careers such as: presenting their research, participating in scholarly forums, and working on the soft- and hard-skills needed to work in a inter-disciplinary research team. Our faculty mentors work with the students in individual and group meetings, and they provide activities that help the students appreciate the nature of multidisciplinary research and the value of working as a team. Training in cyberinfrastructure tools are a strong component of the REU program.
Participants are welcome into current research groups by the faculty leader and the research staff, post docs, graduate and undergraduate students currently participating in the research. We believe this is an excellent setting for students new to research because they have a variety of people at differing experience levels to mentor them. For the summer work, each person in the group is a mentor for the participants; the group leaders are ultimately responsible for the success of the participants in their group.
In the beginning of the summer, the participants are directed by their mentor and can expect help from the group in accomplishing their goals. By the middle of the summer, the participants will have learned to accomplish tasks on their own. By the end of the summer, we expect the participants to have learned how to take the lead in determining what needs to be done and be capable of doing it.
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Presentation Opportunities at each Campus
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Being able to present your research findings and communicate them to an academic audience is an important skill set to have. Each program will have opportunities for students to create posters and share them with faculty members.
LSU. Each REU participant will create a poster based on their research. This poster will be placed in LSU's Summer Undergraduate Research Forum (SURF) at the end of the nine week session. The entire campus is invited to tour the event and visit each poster. Throughout the program, students will also give presentations to REU participants and mentors at weekly update meetings, as well as give a final powerpoint presentation to the group. LA Tech. Each REU participant will create a poster based on their research. This poster will be placed in a poster session at the end of the program; LA Tech faculty, graduate students, and other REU students will be invited to view the posters. LA Tech participants also give final powerpoint presentations about their research to the group. Southern. Each REU participant will create a poster based on their research. This poster will be placed in a poster session at the end of the program; SUBR faculty, graduate students, and other REU students will be invited to view the posters. Southern REU participants will also give final powerpoint presentations about their research to the group, as well as turn in a final paper. Tulane. Each REU participant will create a poster based on their research. This poster will be placed in a poster session at the end of the program; Tulane faculty, graduate students, and other REU students will be invited to view the posters. UNO. Each REU participant will create a poster based on their research. This poster will be placed in the UNO AMRI poster session at the end of the program; UNO faculty, graduate students, and other REU and AMRI participants will be invited to view the posters. Each UNO participant will also prepare an abstracts of the research presented in his or her poster. Xavier. Each REU participants will create a poster based on their research. This poster will be placed in a poster session at the end of the program; Xavier faculty, staff, and other REU students will be invited to view the posters. Xavier participants also write final papers as part of the REU project.
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Academic Events at each Campus
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Each REU participant will attend seminars led by faculty and/or students, as well as other academic events during the summer. Each campus will also offer events that will encourage participants to attend graduate school.
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Each REU participant will attend seminars led by faculty and/or students, as well as other academic events during the summer. Each campus will also offer events that will encourage participants to attend graduate school.
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Graduate School Sessions at each Campus
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LSU. The CCT REU sponsors a graduate school seminar and panel, which gives REU participants a chance to talk to graduate school advisors in several STEM departments. The faculty advisors talk about their experiences in graduate school, outline the admissions process for each department, share advice, and answer participants' questions. LA Tech. REU students can learn more about graduate school options and expectations by talking with their mentor and/or group members, such as current graduate students or postdocs. Learning from the experience of others, especially peers, is one of the best ways for students to find their fit in graduate school. Southern Tulane UNO Xavier
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Social Events at each Campus
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Of course, students will need a break from their research projects, and each program offers social events for students to relax and meet other students.
LSU. We have several of these planned, from a mentor/mentee softball game with a picnic, to science and cultural (New Orleans French Quarter anyone) field trips. Examples of other events might be a visit to the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, LIGO, in Livingston; or a visit to the Stennis Space Center. LA Tech. Social events are chosen each year with the current REU group in mind, some events even planned under the students’ leadership. Past events have included bowling, rockclimbing, movie night, the Louisiana Peach Festival, a barbecue, and road trips to Shreveport and New Orleans. Southern Tulane UNO Xavier
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Housing on each Campus
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REU Participants will stay in campus housing. The type of housing will differ based on each campus. However, If you live locally (at home, or in an area housing unit or apartment), you should live there. REU participants will be responsible for their own meals in some programs; in other cases, a meal plan will have to be bought.
LSU. LSU REU participants will live at the West Campus Apartments. These are 3- or 4-bedroom units and you will live with other students from one of our summer research programs. List of LSU Conference Housing policies. LA Tech. Summer participants will live in a traditional residence hall. LA Tech Residential Life. Click here for a list of Suggested Items to bring for the summer. Southern. Female REU participants live in Totty Hall and male participants live in Shade Hall. . Click here for a list of Suggested Items to bring for the summer. Tulane. REU participants live in Irby Hall. Click here for more Information and Rules for Tulane University Conference Housing. UNO. Participants live in Pontchartrain Hall. Click here for more Information and Rules for UNO Residential Life. Xavier. Xavier has several residence halls. Click Here to view all residence halls. Click here for Things You Need to Know about Xavier Residential Life.
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Meals at each Campus
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LSU. You are responsible for your own meals. There will be several dining rooms open during the summer where full meals may be purchased. There are several nearby grocery stores that are on the bus routes. The campus apartments have a full kitchen, one of our housing goals is that each apartment will have at least one person that has a car residing there. LA Tech. LA Tech REU participants receive a partial meal plan. Participants are responsible for whatever meals this plan does not cover. Southern. You are responsible for your own meals. There are several places on campus where full meals may be purchased. Tulane. You are responsible for your own meals. There are several places on campus where full meals may be purchased. There are also local restaurants. There is a kitchen on each floor of the dorm building, participants may cook meals in this area. UNO. UNO REU participants receive a partial meal plan to help purchase meals at the beginning of the REU. Participants are responsible for meals after exhausting the balance on the meal card. Xavier. Xavier REU participants receive a full meal plan.
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After the Summer Program
Students are encouraged to continue their research as independent research courses in their home departments with a faculty member there. The LA-SiGMA REU faculty mentor will be available throughout the next year as an advisor to the participant. The students are also encouraged to present the final results of their research in their home institution during the following fall semester. We hope these presentations will encourage other undergraduates to participate in an REU and research programs in general.
Students are also asked to provide both school contact information and permanent residence, to facilitate post-program tracking.