The University of Alabama in Huntsville and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Heliophysics Summer Research Opportunity for Undergraduates
An NSF-REU Site funded by the National Science Foundation
Overview
The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) will host a Research Experience for Undergraduates in the summer of 2024. Ten undergraduate students will be invited to Huntsville, Alabama for 10 weeks to engage in cutting edge heliophysics research with astrophysicists from UAH or NASA. Students in this program will be paired with mentors specializing in heliophysics research from the solar interior to the heliopause: including theory, modeling, computer simulations, data analysis, and instrument design. At the end of the 10-week program, participants will be required to present their research experience. Partial funding (up to $1000) will be provided to each student to attend the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU Meeting Information) or the American Astronomical Society Meeting (AAS Meeting Information). In addition, at the end of the program, a poster competition will be organized. The winner of the competition will be awarded full travel support (up to $5000) to attend an international conference of the student and their mentor's choosing which will be organized in or outside the U.S.
The program will run from May 28 - August 2, 2024. Students must be available for the entire 10 weeks in order to participate in the program.
Students will be provided a $6000 stipend for the summer. The stipend will include food and living expenses during the program. Additionally, a travel allowance and housing on the UAH campus (shared rooms) will be provided. A linen package will not be provided for the dorms. You will need to supply your own sheets and towels.
Heliophysics researchers from The University of Alabama in Huntsville and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center are both housed in the National Space Science and Technology Center (NSSTC) located on the UAH campus in Huntsville, Alabama.
SOHO (ESA & NASA)
Eligibility
Applicants should be full-time, undergraduate students with a GPA of 2.75 or better and majoring in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) fields. Students must be U.S citizens, U.S. nationals, or permanent residents of the United States in order to be considered for the program. Students must be at least 18 years of age at the beginning of the program in order to be eligible. Rising sophomores, women and minorities are encouraged to apply.
Location
Huntsville, "The Rocket City", is an oasis of technology and research in northern Alabama, where cutting edge research has been taking place since the space race. It is home to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center and NASA Marshall Space and three 4-year universities. Huntsville is consistently named as one of the best places in the country to live by a variety of publications and thus attracts people from all over the world. In addition to the Space and Rocket Center, visitors can enjoy hiking on nearby Monte Sano, caving, camping, museums, historical landmarks and a variety of sanctuaries and parks.
Apply
The applications will open on January 4th, 2024 and close on March 17th, 2024 at 11:59pm ET.
The applications will be accepted through the NSF Education & Training Application (ETAP) portal
at the following link https://etap.nsf.gov/award/4885/opportunity/6075. After creating an applicant profile, you will be required to fill out the NSF ETAP registration form and answer additional questions specific for our REU program including several essay questions as well as submit your resume (maximum 2 pages) and academic records (for example, transcripts) in PDF format.
In addition, as part of the application package, two (2) letters of recommendation will be required. You are responsible to check with your references beforehand whether they want to provide a reference for you and let them know that they will need to submit their reference letter by the application deadline, March 17, 2024 by 11:59pm ET. Please note that all the required information including the letters of recommendation must be received by the application deadline. Otherwise, your application will be deemed incomplete.
We recommend that you type your responses to the essay questions in a separate document and copy and paste them into your application. Academic records must be in English and must display the name of the institution, name of the student, completed coursework and grades. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable. If selected, you will be required to submit your official transcripts.
Additional Information
If you have any questions, please contact heliophysicsreu@uah.edu.
This REU program is funded by the National Science Foundation. "The REU program is funded by the National Science Foundation under award number AGS-1950831."
