This REU program is centered on collaboration primarily between the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) and the City University of New York (CUNY). The funding requested will provide opportunities for undergraduates to conduct research in astronomy, astrophysics, and earth science at the AMNH. Additional research opportunities will be available at several of the CUNY campuses. Eight students per cohort will be supported through the grant, each program runs for ten weeks during the months of summer. Students from minority serving institutions and from schools with limited research activities are encouraged to participate. As part of the collaboration, special effort is made to recruit students from the CUNY system. In addition to their primary research activities the students will also participate in AMNH programs, take field trips, attend colloquia, and report of their summer projects at either a professional meeting or a scientific symposium that is open to the public.
The very nature of an REU site results in a broader impact, in terms of educational activities. A stated goal of this program is to produce a diverse set of students who are well trained and well educated in the fundamentals of the scientific enterprise. By working to recruit and include participants from underrepresented groups in the CUNY system, the broader impacts of this REU program will likely be particularly effective in reaching into populations that have little exposure to research science and/or little actual research experience.
