REU Program

REU Participants

Physics Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program

 

Overview

Selected undergraduate students perform frontier research during the summer of 2024 on experimental and theoretical projects in one of their chosen research areas. 

Research Areas:

  • Nano-materials and Condensed Matter
  • Photonics, Lasers, and Quantum Optics
  • Soft Condensed Matter and Biophysics

Additional activities include social events jointly with other REU's, field trips to industrial labs, seminars on ethics, use of a research library, and technical writing and research presentations. 

Physics majors or those in fields related to Optics and Materials Science are eligible to apply. Students from small colleges and groups that are underrepresented in science and engineering, including women, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

May 13 - July 24, 2024

Application Deadline: Feb. 15, 2024

A summer research program in physics for undergraduates. 

APPLY NOW!!

If there are questions, please email physreu@uark.edu. Thanks.

National Science Foundation logo

Supported by the National Science Foundation

 

 

The project descriptions below will give you an idea of the type of project that you will work in the associated professor's lab. Actual projects may vary somewhat from these descriptions. To find out more about a project, click on it. To find out more about a professor, click on his or her name.

E=Experimental, T=Theoretical, *=Projects for Physics REU 2024 
NMCM=Nano-materials and Condensed matter, QOPL=Quantum Optics, Photonics, and Lasers, SMBP=Soft matter and Biophysics

Professor Research Area1 Project Title
Salvador-Barraza-Lopez* T, NMCM Predicting Shape from Atomic Bonds and Atomic Locations *
Laurent-Bellaiche T, NMCM Static and Dynamical Properties of Perovskites
Hugh Churchill* E, NMCM Quantum Devices Based on Atomically Thin Materials*
Huaxiang Fu* T, NMCM Understanding and Predicting Technological Important Materials *
Jin Hu* E, NMCM Quantum material synthesis and properties *
Pradeep Kumar* E, SMBP Adaptation bottlenecks and evolution of bacteria *
Jiali Li* E, SMBP Science and Applications of Nanoscale Materials *
Hiroyuki Nakamura*  E, NMCM Studying Nanoscale Vibrations Using Lasers*
Gregory-Salamo* E, NMCM,SMBP Exploring Nanoscale Materials*
Woodrow Shew* E, SMBP Statistical and Nonlinear Physics of the Brain *
Surendra Singh* E, QOPL, SMBP Lasers Quantum Optics and Optical Studies of Biomolecules *
Paul Thibado E, NMCM Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) of Twisted Bilayer Graphene*
Reeta Vyas* T, QOPL Interaction of Non-classical Light with Simple Material System *
Yong Wang* E, SMBP, QOPL Single-molecule & single-cell nanometric biophysics*

1 E=Experimental
   T=Theoretical
   NMCM=Nano-materials and Condensed matter
   QOPL=Quantum Optics, Photonics, and Lasers
   SMBP=Soft matter and Biophysics 

 

Fellowship

Funding from the National Science Foundation will provide:

  • Stipend of $6000 for each participant,
  • Room and Board Allowance sufficient to cover dormitory and meal plan,
  • Travel Support from and to home town of participants,
  • Field Trip: sometime in June, to high-tech industrial labs in the Dallas area.

Eligibility

  • Undergraduates with Physics Majors or those in a field related to Optics and Materials Science are eligible to apply. Preference will be given to those applicants who have completed 60 hours of college credit prior to the program start date with GPA greater than 3.0 (4.0 scale).
  • US citizenship or permanent residency is required for NSF-REU fellowship.
  • Students who will graduate before December of the program year are not eligible.

Application 

Interested applicants should complete the following steps by Feb. 15, 2024. Applications received after the deadline will be considered if any positions remain open. 

Completing the Online Application Form - What You'll Need: 

  • Ranked research projects - pick three research projects of interest and rank them. See 2024 REU Project Descriptions above.
  • Statement of interest - Make PDF copy of statement of interest for uploading
  • Resume and Transcript - Make PDF copies of your current CV/resume and transcripts for uploading.

Two letters of reference - Request two of your professors (preferably physics, math, or related areas) familiar with your academic work to send us letters of reference. The form that you will need is available here (REU Recommendation Form). Give this fillable form and/or its link to your professor. Letters of reference can be emailed (physreu@uark.edu) or mailed to Physics REU, Department of Physics, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701.

To Apply click [Apply Now!] at the upper right hand corner. 

NOTE: Please note that demographic information provided in the application may be used to report statistics to the National Science Foundation or other reporting agencies in a summary form while keeping individual information confidential.

Contact

Professor Reeta Vyas
Department of Physics
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR 72701
Phone: (479) 575-6569 or (479) 575-2506
Fax: (479) 575-4580
Email: physreu@uark.edu or rvyas@uark.edu