REU Testimonials: Experiences at University of Alabama/Auburn

[plutoisacomet]

For those of you that have completed REU's, can one or all of you explain what you actually did? How many of your REU's were just working on circuits or building hardware. That's what machinists and Electronics Technicians are for right?
Has anyone done a REU at the University of Alabama or Auburn and what did you do?
Thanks...

 

[qualgorithm]

What you do in an REU depends almost entirely upon who you work for. REU sites determine location, and some programs have better organized events, but most of your time you're essentially acting like a graduate student. That means, like in graduate school, your adviser is what determines your experience in the lab.

 

[plutoisacomet]

Sounds hit and miss depending on the Prof!

 

[G01]

Don't dismiss designing circuitry and hardware as work that is below you, because it isn't! Being able to build circuits, work with LabVIEW Matlab, Maple, etc., and build hardware for experiments are skills that are essential for anybody who wants to be an experimental scientist or engineer.

 

[josh_einsle]

Don't dismiss designing circuitry and hardware as work that is below you, because it isn't! Being able to build circuits, work with LabVIEW Matlab, Maple, etc., and build hardware for experiments are skills that are essential for anybody who wants to be an experimental scientist or engineer.

agreed, these are all skills that you need at least some familiarity with.

as to the original question, my REU experience at UC- Irvine was great. one of the best summers of my life. I got to work in a lab largely independent, program some data collection routines, modify an experimental set up and then collect data. on top of that i took advantage of living in southern cali and learned to surf with one of my best buddies who was also on an REU at UCI at the time. His experience research wise was not as exciting, but we still talk about that summer fondly.

If anything the experience will really give you a taste for real physics and should help you decide if this is what you want to pursue in the future.

 

[qualgorithm]

as to the original question, my REU experience at UC- Irvine was great. one of the best summers of my life. I got to work in a lab largely independent, program some data collection routines, modify an experimental set up and then collect data. on top of that i took advantage of living in southern cali and learned to surf with one of my best buddies who was also on an REU at UCI at the time. His experience research wise was not as exciting, but we still talk about that summer fondly.

I will testify to the virtues of learning to surf at an REU as well.