r/REU

As I'm sure many (pure) math majors in this sub are aware, AI has become a nontrivial factor in how math research is conducted, how math is taught, and what topics should be studied. In my REU this summer (first year summer), I encountered many things that could be done faster or more easily with AI, and I imagine this will only become more frequent in any research I do.

In combination with NSF funding cuts, is there reason to suspect that math REUs will become obsolete soon? If PhDs even struggle to get funding, why would the NSF invest more resources into undergrads when the research output is mediocre on average (as it probably should be)? And in response to this, what should I do? As in, is it reasonable to continue traditionally or diversify how I approach research?

I'm curious to hear what other math majors are thinking about, because AI in math during and now after my REU has been on my mind way too much.

Hi everyone! I’m applying to a Harvard summer stem cell lab program next year and would really appreciate hearing from anyone who was previously selected.

The application asks for a one-page CV/resume and a 750-word personal statement focusing on resilience, tenacity, openness to experience, and how the program fits into your aspirations.I have very little experience writing application materials, so I’d love to hear about how you decided what experiences and stories to highlight.

If you were selected in previous years or have any related experiences and feel comfortable sharing , I’d be very grateful for any advice or examples of how you prepared your materials. Thank you!

😀

Family is below the poverty line so just curious if im supposed to include something pertaining to income in personal statements, idk how crazy reus would be on dei policies( espically because im a white male) but incomes gotta count for something if they do dei no?

Hello, I just completed my first REU and was wondering on how to continue doing research...

( The REU was NOT at my home institution)

1. Do I start cold emailing the professors at my home institution for opportunities?

2. If so, is there any chance of getting paid?

3. Would you recommend applying for labs with no undergrad researchers?

4. Is it important to add a recommendation letter from my REU PI?

second to last week, can’t wait for this shit to be over! definitely killed all the motivation i had to do science. mourn the starry-eyed person i was 9 weeks ago. going into senior year and am actively throwing away all the dreams i’d held onto and hard work i’d done these past 3 years simply because every day is a battle. nobody faces any consequences but me. this shit sucks.

fuck academia.

I am 3rd year undergraduate of applied math program at university of some small country(#1 in the country btw) in Asia. I am planning to apply for PhD programs this winter. Due to insufficient budget, I can send applications to at most 4-5 universities. And I am willing to get realistic advices on choosing universities to apply.(I asked chatgpt but I thought it is maybe better to ask from real people before final decision.) First let me share my profile.

I have gpa 3.8. I have published 4 preprints in arxiv at the intersection of applied harmonic analysis and deep relu neural networks.

3 of them are under peer review in Q1 journals. I have been research trainee at one of the top 3 universities in canada for 3 months granted by NSERC.(Unfortunately my supervisor at Canada did not suggest any program or universities and he said he is no longer working in the academia starting from the next year. He did mention some people but most of them were very old like above 55 or 60.) Ask me questions if needed and I will really appreciate detailed advices :>

hi :) i am a soph planning to apply to REUs for s27, and would say I have a pretty strong app on paper + good LOR. my main concern is about essays seeming cohesive and telling a nice story of my exp. a bit of background:

• 3.97, orm + top ug, bioeng major, 1700 hrs research exp in cell bio lab, medtech r&d at startup, 4 papers in review (including 1st auth & high IF co-auth) & 2 pubs from HS, 2 posters + 1 talk, research + startup awards
• applying to most amgen programs, msk, rockefeller, cshl, jax, broad, hhmi, st jude poe, several pre-md/phd programs (heart, tri-i, vandy, uwisconsin, umich)

my work in my current lab is great, I have a ton of independence + great scientific training / mentorship and plan to stay for all of undergrad. also don't want to concurrently join another lab at my school since I feel like it would dilute my focus.

my main issue is that my work is super basic science in a very niche model organism. as someone who wants to pursue mdphd, I want to gain experience both doing translational work (which I feel would be more meaningful). I also want to learn to work with tissue culture, mice, or smth that is not super niche. so i'm aiming to do that through an REU.

my main question is about how I would tie my previous exp into what I want to do at an REU, and if there's a way to do that without hurting my app too much. for example, I'd love to do smth immuno or oncology adjacent, but that has little connection to my current work, so idk how to justify wanting to do it. i feel like if i say what i said here, they'll just be like "well join a translational lab at your school" (we have plenty), but I am so set in my lab and don't want to leave.

does anyone have any advice for how to approach essays about wanting to do a specific REU and tying it into your prev work in a similar situation? or am i just cooked lol

Hi! I’m thinking about applying for the MtL-URO Program at Max Planck, and I was wondering if it’s necessary—or recommended—to reach out to the PIs before applying.

Would contacting them beforehand improve my application, or is it better to just apply through the official process?

Thanks!

Im a rising junior in biochemistry at a R1 state school and i have above a 3.7 gpa

During the school year I do sensing organic synthesis research since freshmen an year

The past 2 summers I’ve done research at a speciality research hospital

I’ve been on two publications. One was with the sensing lab and another was independent health project.

I’m mostly going to be going for ones that are bio related.

Hope this is enough info

I just completed an REU and had a great experience. It was said by the PI that I could be added as a co-author onto their upcoming paper, which is both crazy and SO exciting. I also casually expressed interest in coming back next summer while small talking with the lab, and the PI said they'd love to see me again. However, I'm planning on ultimately applying for med school and am already in a lab at my actual university (the REU happened at a different university than the one I go to). Would it look like I'm flip-flopping labs on my AMCAS application if I came back?

Basic stats:

- 3.9 GPA genetics/art double major at R1 state school entering Junior year (ORM)

- Looking for immunotherapy/oncology research

- About 2700 hours in one lab by time of application, highly independent with lots of techniques (CRISPR (developed), WB, qPCR (developing), animal modelling, flow cytometry/sorting), same field as I want to do my internship in

- 1 published paper (6th author), 1 in review (3rd/2nd (depending on revisions) IF ~10. Expecting 1-2 1st author pubs from the lab but not close to being in prep atm

- 2 national posters personally presented (one at large society meeting, one more trainee focused; bunch of other posters I'm not first author on)

- 1 local oral presentation as part of a research award

- 1 internship at the same lab I've been with

- Expecting very strong PI LOR and one from a professor I took a class with and TA for

- Pre-MD/PhD

- Various volunteering (as a musician, in a hospital with my population of interest, and also some research mentorship stuff (very low hours for the last))

- About 500 hours of random clinical stuff that probably doesn't matter (shadowing, emergency department work, etc)

As some extra background; upon speaking with my mentor and also my local MD/PhD program director, I have been advised that my current independence and productivity is not worth giving up just for the sake of diversity. As such, I am seeking only the best programs in immunotherapy/hem-onc. My current list is below; big thanks for any help or words from people that have succeeded in getting to any of these programs. Also, does it make sense to double apply to many of these through different avenues?

[removed]