REU Application
Our joint REU application is available here from December 15 – March 15. This application enables you to apply for all the summer research opportunities coordinated through the BU Photonics Center, funded by the programs listed below:
- NSF REU Site in Integrated Nanomanufacturing (10 positions)
- NSF REU Opportunities in Cellular Metamaterials for Cardiac Tissue Engineering (1-2 positions)
- NSF REU Site in Translational Biophotonics (10 positions)
Application review begins in mid-January, and students will be admitted on a rolling basis beginning in mid-February. Application review is holistic and not focused on any single criterion.
Applicants will be considered for all projects relevant to their studies and interests. Your answers regarding research interests and preferences will help us make appropriate lab placements.
Prior research experience is not required. Preference is given to highly motivated students who do not have access to comparable research opportunities at their home institutions.
WHAT MAKES A GREAT APPLICATION?
The best applications are authentically yours, written by you in your unique voice to tell your unique story. Honesty, passion, and your own voice are greatly appreciated by our reviewers. We suggest that you don’t rely on ChatGPT to write your open-ended answers. You are much better than ChatGPT at expressing why and how you will be a good fit for our program.
We also like to see that an applicant has done some research and can tell us why our program would be a good fit for them. Clearly mention how this specific program will help you achieve your goals. Although “gaining scientific research experience” and “preparing for graduate school” are excellent reasons to do an REU program, try to be more specific about why a research project with our program (vs. another) will specifically help you achieve your goals. You want your application to stand out to us as someone who would really benefit from our program.
APPLICATION QUESTIONS
Our application consists of standard identity and demographic questions plus the following long answer questions to help us understand your research interests, motivations, longer term aspirations, and potential lab placements:
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- Please list briefly any skills you have that are relevant to research.
- If you have prior research experience, please briefly describe your experience here. If none, please type “NA.”
- If you have prior (non-research) work or volunteer experience, please briefly describe here. If none, please type “NA.”
- What qualities, characteristics, and skills will you bring to our REU program as a result of your work, interest activities, volunteering, and other life experiences?
- Please tell us about your research interests and career goals. What motivates these interests? Which classes or prior experiences sparked your curiosity and passion?
- Please identify specific research areas that interest you – for example, photonics, biomechanics, biomaterials, neuroscience, robotics, translating science from the lab to the clinic, tissue engineering, etc. This information can help us place you in a lab.
- How will this REU experience support your academic and career goals?
APPLICATION DOCUMENTS
As part of your application, you will be asked to upload a copy of your unofficial
academic transcript (PDF, JPEG, or PNG format).
Applicants are invited (but not required) to upload a resume.
For your application to be complete, we will also need to receive one letter of recommendation from a professor, research mentor, or advisor who knows you well and can speak to your academic strengths, research skills, or professional potential. The letter of recommendation is a valuable part of your application to our program. We encourage you to invite your recommender to share specific information on how you would be successful in an undergraduate research opportunity. Please request your letter of recommendation well in advance of the application deadline. Please ask your professor, research mentor, or advisor to upload their letter at our Letter of Recommendation Portal: https://www.bu.edu/photonics-programs/reu-lor/.
Application