This REU Site award to Princeton University, located in Princeton, NJ, will support the training of 10 students for 9 weeks during the summers of 2018- 2020. All students will be mentored by faculty associated with the Princeton Neuroscience Institute (PNI) and will be offered a GRE preparatory course; computer programming classes; and other activities designed to help summer students prepare for graduate school. Summer researchers are required to participate in laboratory and safety training seminars and a workshop on the responsible conduct of research. PNI's summer research program is for undergraduates who are seriously considering graduate studies in neuroscience. PNI seeks to support students whose participation will add to the diversity of researchers in the sciences, and are from institutions that do not have large neuroscience research programs. Applicants are required to submit an online application, an unofficial transcript and two letters of recommendation. Completed applications are evaluated by program staff and faculty. Program participants are asked to join PNI's LinkedIn group and create an ORCID account to assist PNI in monitoring their academic and professional progress.
It is anticipated that a total of 30 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities, will be trained in the program. Given the importance of a research experience in the graduate admissions process, this program will provide students with opportunities that they might not otherwise be able to obtain. Students will learn how research is conducted, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences.
A common web-based assessment tool used by all REU Site programs funded by the Division of Biological Infrastructure will be used to determine the effectiveness of the training program. Students will be tracked after the program in order to determine their career paths. Students will be asked to respond to an automatic email sent via the NSF reporting system. More information about the program is available by visiting http://pni.princeton.edu/summer-programs/pni-summer-internship-program/, or by contacting the PI (Dr. Jonathan Cohen at jdc@princeton.edu) or the Program Director (Dr. Ed Clayton at ec12@princeton.edu).
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
