End of REU Update: Share Your Experience

  • Thread starter Thread starter G01
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Reu
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around participants sharing their experiences with Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs) as many programs conclude. The scope includes personal reflections on the research process, skills gained, and the overall enjoyment of the experience.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant enjoyed their REU experience, noting initial challenges but ultimately finding value in the research process and acquiring new skills in data acquisition and image processing.
  • Another participant expressed curiosity about the field of research undertaken by the first participant, highlighting a lack of REUs in their own academic context.
  • A participant mentioned their successful research experience and the planning of a paper submission to a scientific journal, indicating a positive outcome from their work.
  • Several participants discussed the programming tools they used, such as LabVIEW and Matlab, with varying opinions on their effectiveness and usability.
  • One participant described their REU program as laid back, suggesting a more relaxed environment compared to others.
  • Participants shared insights about the challenges of programming in LabVIEW, particularly regarding program complexity and interface design.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally shared positive experiences regarding their REUs, but there are differing views on the structure and demands of their respective programs. Some participants expressed enjoyment and success, while others noted challenges and varying levels of support from advisors.

Contextual Notes

Some discussions involve personal anecdotes and subjective experiences, which may not reflect a universal experience across all REUs. There is also a focus on specific programming tools that may vary in relevance depending on the research context.

Who May Find This Useful

Students considering applying for REUs, those interested in research experiences, and individuals exploring programming tools in a research setting may find this discussion relevant.

G01
Science Advisor
Gold Member
Messages
2,709
Reaction score
19
So, now that many REU's are nearing the end of their 10 week run, how was everyone's time? Did you enjoy the work? Would you do it again?

I think a thread like this could help those thinking about applying for these programs in the future.

Personally, I had a great time. Things got off to a rocky start at first, but in the end I was enjoying every minute off it. Sure the days gets tough when nothing seems to work correctly and every minute involves trouble shooting, but isn't that what research is about sometimes?:biggrin:

I got to do a lot of data acquisition and image processing. It involved a lot of device interfacing and I had never done any programming like this before. So, I also came out with some skills I didn't have before, which was good. I enjoyed the experience overall, and definitely plan on doing it again next year as well, and maybe I will try to do some research during the semester as well.

So, anybody else? What did those of you who did REU's this summer think?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Good to hear you enjoyed yourself G01. We don't have REU's over here (or at least not in maths that I heard of during my undergrad days) but it sure sounds a good experience-- and a good way to get students interested in undertaking research careers after they graduate!

What field was your research in?
 
Great job, programming like that is very important to know, as I am doing some of that right now in Matlab :-p (But not for an REU)
 
My program was a lot of fun. I have my final presentation to give next Thursday and then I am out. Wish it weren't ending so soon though.

My work was suprisingly succesful. This is not my first research experience, so it helped having some back ground. Right now I am in the process of planning out/writing a paper we plan to submit to Science for our nano/bio/self-assembly/etc work. Hopefully this works out!
 
cristo said:
Good to hear you enjoyed yourself G01. We don't have REU's over here (or at least not in maths that I heard of during my undergrad days) but it sure sounds a good experience-- and a good way to get students interested in undertaking research careers after they graduate!

What field was your research in?

I worked in solid state physics with quantum dots. It was a pretty good time! They are interesting little things, though not as tasty as the candy Dots.:biggrin:

Cyrus, I didn't use much Matlab, though I do know a little. I did use a lot of LabVIEW though. It's weird programming with pictures but you get used to it quick.
 
my program at UF was really laid back. it's where i go to school, so i didn't have to adjust to anything. my advisor didn't demand a whole lot from me.
 
G01 said:
I worked in solid state physics with quantum dots. It was a pretty good time! They are interesting little things, though not as tasty as the candy Dots.:biggrin:

Cyrus, I didn't use much Matlab, though I do know a little. I did use a lot of LabVIEW though. It's weird programming with pictures but you get used to it quick.

Labview is a good thing to know too. We used it in electronics class. Its a fast and dirty way to make nice GUI's.
 
cyrusabdollahi said:
Labview is a good thing to know too. We used it in electronics class. Its a fast and dirty way to make nice GUI's.

The only problem with it is that once you start building a decent sized program, you end up with wires going EVERYWHERE.:biggrin: The more subVI's you use the less of a problem this is though...

LabVIEW also makes device interfacing much easier. At least I think so, anyway.
 

Similar threads

Admissions What REU's to apply to with a mediocre GPA?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
3K
Programs 2018 REU and Summer Program Acceptance Thread
  • · Replies 77 ·
3
Replies
77
Views
20K
Admissions Do I have a good shot at CalTech/MIT's graduate program for physics?
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
7K
Admissions Chances with a Low/mid GPA but high PGRE and research experience
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
Programs Which REU should I choose: Caltech or SULI?
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
3K
Schools Interested in Applied Math/biomath REU's, need some help if possible
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
1K
Programs Take a 5th year to do more research?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Admissions Admission into Princeton Grad School
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
3K
Experience with Late SULI Letter of Recommendation?
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
3K
Admissions Comments on my physics PhD applicant profile
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K