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Worcester Polytechnic Institute has been selected to host a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site sponsored by the National Science Foundation. Undergraduate Participants will perform research at WPI for 10 weeks during the summer, directly mentored by graduate students and faculty members. In addition to research, Participants will be involved in a variety of other activities, including a professional skills building seminar and final poster presentation. Participants receive a stipend of $500 per week. A limited amount of on-campus housing is available for students that are unable to commute to the site.

The research theme of the REU Site is “Advanced materials and processes for a resilient society”. As a nation, America is vulnerable to a variety of threats, including: the ongoing deterioration of infrastructure, the challenges of a changing climate, the cumulative effects of environmental contamination, and the growing scarcity of material and energy resources. Each of these threats targets weaknesses in the built environment, which is defined as the combination of physical infrastructure and the processes that manage inputs of resources and outputs including waste products on which modern society is founded. In order to address these threats, new, more durable materials must be investigated; processes must be discovered that will produce these materials at a reduced energy demand; new strategies by which waste materials can be diverted from disposal sites or transformed into valuable products must be implemented; and a generation of engineers and scientists of diverse backgrounds must be trained with the technical knowledge and professional skills to implement, adapt, and develop these materials and processes.

On this webpage, you can find more information about the site, including: Examples of the types of research projects that REU Participants undertake at WPI; eligibility information; contact information for the site directors; and the application portal. Undergraduate students from across the STEM fields are encouraged to apply, especially students from backgrounds conventionally underrepresented in the STEM fields. All applications are handled electronically through the application portal.