USF Making Waves REU

Eligibility and How to Apply

Erica Dasi from the College of Engineering shows a lab-made bio-sand filter from Dr. Ergas’ environmental engineering lab.

REQUIREMENTS

Applicants must be undergraduate students and US citizens, US nationals, or legal permanent residents of the United States or its possessions. Applicants must not have earned B.S. or B.A. prior to December 2024. Applications from members of groups under-represented in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) are encouraged to apply. The University of South Florida is an equal opportunity institution. 

Prospective participants must be fully available during this time (May 19-July 26, 2024) and not enrolled in other classes or have a job or internship to accept placement on the REU.

PROCEDURE

Application will be open from October 12, 2023  to February 1, 2024. Acceptance letters will be sent between February 15 and March 16. To apply, you are required to submit an online application. In addition to requesting basic information, it will also prompt you to upload the following documents, so be ready to upload these before you begin: 

  • A one-page CV or resume.
  • A copy of your college or high school unofficial transcripts.

You will also be prompted to submit the following of brief statements:

  • Brief statement (250 words) of your educational and career goals and description on how the Making Waves REU will help you in pursuing those goals and specifically why you are interested in this REU.
  • Brief statement (no more than 200 words) on how you, based on your personal background and life experiences (including social, cultural, familial, educational, or other opportunities or challenges), will share your experience with a broader audience during and after participation in this REU.

You will have to submit information for one reference who will write a letter of recommendation (professor or teacher preferably in Science Technology Engineering Arts and Marine Science). 

Please provide the link below to your one reference so they can submit their letter of recommendation.

https://usf.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4UXuKWsoVTjVdhY

  • The letter will need to be signed and on official letterhead from your institution.
  • The PDF file must be named as follows: participant’s last name_MWREU24 (i.e., Arellano_MWREU24).
  • Letter of recommendation must be received no later than February 1st, 2024.
  • Letter of recommendation submission instructions are in the REU application.

You will be prompted to pick and rank three out of five projects. We cannot always match a student with a project preference, but we try.

Please review the projects here. 

If you have any questions, please contact aarellan@usf.edu (Email subject “MWREU 2024”).

EVALUATION

In evaluating applications, we consider the following criteria:

  • Previous research. Experience carrying out scientific research is not a prerequisite for admission to the program and some projects can take students without previous experience. However, prior experience may be a considerable asset for some of the REU research projects offered each summer.
  • Career objectives. We seek participants who will make good use of the opportunity provided by the REU program. A primary goal of the National Science Foundation REU program is to help students make informed choices concerning scientific careers, such as pursuing a graduate degree, or selection between possible sub-fields of study.
  • Letter of recommendation. These provide valuable information about applicants’ accomplishments and potential for independent scientific research.

APPLY NOW

  • The application process for Making Waves REU Summer 2024 program will open October 12, 2023 and close on February 1, 2024. Apply here.
  • Incomplete applications will not be considered by the admissions committee.