This REU site is now closed.  Our 3 years of NSF funding ended in 2018.  There will be no further applications accepted.

This Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site award, funded by the National Science Foundation, to The College of Wooster, Wooster, OH, Kenyon College, Gambier, OH, and Earlham College, Richmond, IN will support 16 students for 9 weeks during the summers of 2016-2018.  Undergraduate participants (US Citizens or Permanent Residents only) will receive a stipend of $4,950 in addition to housing, meal and travel allowances.  You must be a continuing undergraduate to apply.

Please go to REU Information for more information

This REU unites the successful neuroscience undergraduate research programs of four predominately undergraduate institutions in Northern Ohio and Eastern Indiana. The REU consists of four research teams, one per partner institution, each with four students and two faculty mentors for a nine-week summer REU. Each group will focus on a separate research project from a faculty mentor’s area of expertise. Participants will work on challenging, authentic research questions and learn methods, skills and content to succeed in their research endeavors at their home institutions. In addition, during biweekly consortium meetings, participants will learn methods, skills and content on research methods being used at the partner institutions.

In 2014 and 2015, the associated faculty and institutions successfully guided more than 30 research participants through a nearly identical program, funded through the GLCA. Participants report significant gains in confidence using a variety of neuroscience methods following consortium instruction.

Participants will also engage in discussion on their projects, learn about the progress of their peers, network with other students, hear about career opportunities in academe and industry, develop ethical and responsible research conduct strategies and improve CV, cover letter and interview skills during the weekly consortium meetings that will bring the research groups together in-person and virtually. Students will present their findings at a research symposium at the conclusion of the program.

Here are the students that participated in our summer program during 2016:

Here are the students that participated in our summer program during 2017:

Research themes associated with this REU span the breadth of Neuroscience include genetic model systems, neuromodulation, cellular responses to neurotrauma, rodent behavioral assessment, and cognitive and stress neuroscience. Participating labs are located in Biology, Chemistry, and Psychology departments.  A 3-day opening workshop will introduce students to the research themes, responsible conduct of research, mentoring, development of research plans, and data management.

It is anticipated that 8 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities, will join 8 students from the host institutions and participating faculty in a learning community focused on collaboration across the depth and breadth of Neuroscience. We are particularly interested in participants who are first-generation college students and those from groups that are typically underrepresented in science. Students will be selected based on their interest in research, academic record, and other factors. Students will learn how research is conducted, data are analyzed, and results are presented to both scientific and public audiences.

A common web-based assessment tool used by all REU programs funded by the Division of Biological Infrastructure (Directorate for Biological Sciences) will be used to determine the effectiveness of the program. Students will be tracked after the program in order to determine student career paths and asked to respond to an automatic email sent via the NSF reporting system.

More information about the program  by contacting the PI (Dr. Amy Jo Stavnezer at ajstavnezer@wooster.edu).