For Undergrads

NOTE: The REU Summer Scholars program will not be running in 2023.

 

MIT MRSEC sponsors undergraduate involvement in MRSEC research through MIT's Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). After consulting with a potential faculty supervisor, students submit written proposals for each term of UROP research. Once the proposal has been approved, the students join the faculty member's research group. UROP students work part-time during the academic year, full-time during the summer.

In addition, the Center offers several outreach programs for undergraduates from outside of MIT:

  • Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)
  • Community College Program (CCP)
  • Universidad Metropolitana Program (UMET)
  • Women's Technology Program

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE FOR UNDERGRADUATES PROGRAM (REU)
The MIT MRSEC collaborates with the Materials Research Laboratory to offer a nine-week summer research internship program. The objective of the program is to provide undergraduates with an opportunity to immerse themselves in exciting materials research as part of a team of graduate students and postdoctoral associates under the leadership of MRL / MRSEC faculty.

Approximately ten undergraduate students are selected to participate in the program each year. The interns, all entering their junior or senior year, are chosen on the basis of their academic standing, faculty recommendations, and research interests.

The students begin the summer with a three-day symposium featuring faculty presentations on current research topics and tours of related laboratories. In the course of this symposium, a wide variety of possible projects are outlined for the students. The remainder of the first week is devoted to individual meetings with faculty and the matching of interns with projects. During the summer, the group meets weekly for research discussions and seminars led by guest speakers. The interns also participate in the regular meetings of their respective research groups. At the end of the program, the interns present their research in a poster session that is attended by the MIT community.

Please contact either of the following people with any questions:

Ms. Susan Dalton, Assistant Director
MIT MRSEC
MIT MRSEC Program & MIT Materials Research Laboratory Operations
Phone: (617) 253-7632
E-mail: sdalton@mit.edu

COMMUNITY COLLEGE PROGRAM (CCP)
MIT MRSEC collaborates with Roxbury Community College and with Bunker Hill Community College, both minority-rich two-year colleges, to engage community college students in current materials research. The primary goal of this program is to encourage a significant number of community college undergraduates to pursue careers in science and engineering.   

Students spend nine weeks during the summer working on MIT MRSEC research as part of faculty-led research groups, similar to our REU summer internship program. The CCP students participate in all REU meetings and activities. In addition, separate meetings of these students with the MRSEC director and staff are devoted to addressing their concerns about research, seeing that they are comfortably assimilated into their research groups, and getting feedback on the program. At the conclusion of the summer, the students present posters on their research at a summer programs poster session, attended by the MIT community.

Faculty at the community colleges take primary responsibility for the selection of students for this program, who are chosen on the basis of their interest, academic preparation, and faculty recommendation. Program participants choose their research projects from several presented by the MRSEC director during a preliminary seminar. The students are awarded a stipend for the summer.

 

UNIVERSIDAD METROPOLITANA PROGRAM (UMET)
MIT MRSEC has established a new collaboration with the Universidad Metropolitana (UMET) in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Participants include local students referred to MIT MRSEC by UMET faculty, spearheaded by Prof. Juan Arratia.

Program Objectives

  • Improve participants’ research and technical skills by providing them with research experience not available at UMET
  • Broaden program impact through presentations at a special research symposium at UMET and participation in UMET’s Pre-College Research Program in local high schools
  • Increase retention and graduation of UMET science and engineering students