This award provides support to The Pennsylvania State University to continue their Research Experience for Undergraduates Site. Eight undergraduate psychology majors with an interest in the biological aspects of experimental psychology will be recruited to participate in this program at the completion of their sophomore or junior year. An effort will be made to attract a majority of minority students using the techniques and contacts which have enabled staff to train over 40 minority Ph.D.s since 1969 and five minority students in the 1989-90 NSF REU Sites program. The students selected will work as apprentices with one of seven members of the faculty, all nationally known for their research and all highly experienced at preparing undergraduates who have gone on to graduate school. This faculty recently received a major equipment grant form the U.S. Department of Education that has provided facilities for research and training. The program is designed to have students work full-time for eight weeks in the summer, gradually exposing them to all aspects of psychophysiological research and to selected aspects of physiological psychology. Students will design an independent research project during the latter part of the summer and complete it with the help of their Penn State mentor during the following academic year. At the end of the spring semester, they will present their research results at a department colloquium. In some cases, the research will be submitted for publication or presentation at professional meetings. Every effort will be made to encourage and assist students to gain admission to graduate programs, either at Penn State or elsewhere.
