The program will provide financial benefits to students, including:
- A living stipend of $8,000.00 and relocation reimbursement (up to $500.00).
- $1,000.00 in research funds per project.
- Room and board
Program and Activities
Students will spend 10 weeks in the program, during which they will work closely with their assigned mentor(s) and other members of their research team on a variety of lab and field-based research projects. The overall goal of this program is to provide students with hands-on experiences in multiple scientific disciplines.
During the first week, students will be introduced to their mentors and research team, the REU program, NGRREC and wetland science in a modern world.
Weekly activities include lectures focusing on current theory and practices of wetland science, as well as professional development workshops in scientific communication, manuscript preparation, career panel, research poster development and discussion of environmental racism and diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusivity in STEM.
Throughout the program, students will have the opportunity to attend events to foster relationships between students and members of the NGRREC community, including BBQs and a variety of activities (e.g., trips on the Mississippi River, to local museums, to the St. Louis Zoo, etc.). Interns will also visit local field sites to experience different aquatic, floodplain and upland habitats of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers.
The REU program will culminate on the second to last day with a research symposium where students present their work to local, regional and visiting scientists, students and other interested participants.