What is an REU Program?

Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs support active, inclusive research participation by registered undergraduate students in areas of research that are funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). REU projects involve students in meaningful ways in ongoing research programs at REU host sites or in research projects specifically designed for the REU program. 

NSF|SpectrumX REU+ Program

SpectrumX, an NSF Spectrum Innovation Center, is the nexus for innovation in spectrum research, education, and national-level partnerships. Visit www.spectrumx.org for more information.

SpectrumX invites applications by current undergraduate students to participate in its 2024 REU+ Program to be hosted during Summer 2024 at the following sites: Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University, University of Notre Dame, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, University of California Los Angeles, and University of Virginia.

Students will have the opportunity to work with an experienced, trained mentor in their field of interest including, but not limited to, Spectrum Use Cases and Coexistence, Radio & Network Technologies, Data & Machine Learning, Spectrum Economics and Policy, Science Communication, Science Education, and Social Justice

By applying, students commit to being available for 40 hours of work per week. Students will be expected to work closely with their mentors and other students, consult with researchers as necessary, and to attend weekly meetings, lectures and training sessions.

Travel costs to and from the REU+ host site, as well as on-site accommodation, will be paid directly by the University of Notre Dame. A stipend, paid into the accepted student’s US bank account, will be provided to cover all other expenses during the program, including meals.

Students who would prefer to complete an REU with SpectrumX during the academic year and before 08/30/2024 are encouraged to reach out to the REU+ Team at reu@spectrumx.org to discuss.

Funding is also available to support students who may need additional financial support in order to successfully complete the program, and/or for those students who have successfully completed the program to present their work at a meeting of their professional peers, e.g. American Astronomical Society.

Women and nonbinary students, underrepresented minorities, transfer students, and others traditionally underrepresented in science are strongly encouraged to apply.

SpectrumX is funded via NSF Award 2132700 operated under cooperative agreement by the University of Notre Dame. This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program is pending funding by the NSF and SpectrumX.

Eligibility

Applicants must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident of the United States; be and remain an undergraduate student in good standing; and plan to complete an undergraduate degree program.

Applicants must be registered in a communications, computer science, data science, economics, education, electrical/electronic engineering, physics, policy, pre-law, social justice, or other program directly related to spectrum research, education or management.

Application Process

STEP 1: Complete and submit this application form by 11:59 PM PST on April 8, 2024 to be considered for the 2024 SpectrumX REU+ Program. Note that this application requires a personal essay and you are advised to leave enough time to complete this application.

STEP 2: Request two references to submit a letter of recommendation to reu@spectrumx.org with Letter of Recommendation: [Your Preferred Full Name] in the Subject Line. The deadline is 11:59 PM PST on April 8, 2024. Note that only PDF files are accepted.

STEP 3: Submit your academic transcript to reu@spectrumx.org with Transcript: [Your Preferred Full Name] in the Subject Line. The deadline is 11:59 PM PST on April 8, 2024. Note that only PDF files are accepted. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable.

STEP 4: You will be notified of the outcome of your application by April 16, 2024.

Confidentiality

Your application information will be reviewed by a panel of reviewers appointed by SpectrumX. Any information about your application, including your identity, is completely confidential. All reports or publications will ensure anonymity of the application information. The following steps will be taken to ensure this confidentiality: A unique code will be generated to label your information. The relationship between this code and your identifying information will be kept strictly confidential. When reporting applicant pool information, care will be taken to ensure that no individual's response can be identified. All information will be stored in a secure offline database, with no names associated with the data. 

The University of Notre Dame is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. Personal information is used for descriptive purposes only and not in consideration of eligibility.

Participation

I have read the information in this consent form. I have had the chance to ask questions about the application information sharing, and those questions have been answered to my satisfaction. My completion of this application form is consent for my information to be anonymously pooled with all REU+ applicant information

Queries

Contact reu@spectrumx.org