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Apply to the NNIN REU
The 2009 National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Research Experience for Undergraduates Program
(2009 NNIN REU)
sponsored by the National Science Foundation, NNIN and Industry
Dear Undergraduate Students:
Below, please find a summary of the 2009 NNIN REU Program in Nanotechnology and the instructions for applying. Read carefully, noting especially the mandatory application materials, and the restrictions and eligibility requirements.
Thank you for your interest in our program.
Ms. Melanie-Claire Mallison
NNIN REU Program Assistant
250 Duffield Hall CNF
Ithaca NY 14853-2700
t.607.254.4858
f.607.255.8601
mallison/at/cnf.cornell.edu
APPLICATION DEADLINES
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11TH, 2009:
ONLINE options go offline*; 8:00 PM EST, 5:00 PM PST
* Both APPLICATION and RECOMMENDATION options
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18TH, 2009:
All application materials must be RECEIVED by this date.
All materials may be faxed on this date but MUST be followed up with mailed originals.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11TH, 2009:
Award Process Begins
During the summer of 2009, the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network will host a Research Experience for Undergraduates (NNIN REU) Program from June through August. We are looking for engineering and science students with broad interests across disciplines focusing on nanotechnology.
Minority and female candidates are especially encouraged to apply, along with students with no previous research experience.
The chosen undergraduates taking part in the ten-week NNIN REU program will receive hands-on nanoscience and technology experience through research with applications to bio-engineering, chemistry, electronics, materials science, optics,opto-electronics, physics, and the life sciences. The research projects are designed and supervised by the faculty and technical staff at the NNIN research facilities. Interns work with faculty and graduate students on projects using the unique resources offered at their award site. A scientific convocation, attended by all the network interns, is held in August to allow each intern the opportunity to present their work to their peers in the form of a concise scientific presentation. Interns also must complete a written report, akin to a research paper, summarizing the findings of their research project. These reports are published as the NNIN REU Research Accomplishments.
(Please note the exact location and dates of the 2009 NNIN REU Convocation have not yet been settled. Ms. Mallison will keep all applicants informed as program planning progresses.)
The NNIN REU Program is supported by the National Science Foundation, and is co-sponsored by NNIN and its industrial sponsors. Participants receive a $4,000 stipend, plus housing and all travel expenses to their research site and the convocation site. They may be responsible for their own meals. Full participation in the site program and network convocation, and the submission of a final report, are all mandatory.
Restrictions and Eligibility Requirements for NNIN REU Interns:
1] If you have already participated in an NNUN or NNIN REU Program, you are NOT eligible to participate again.
2] Undergraduate student interns must be citizens of the United States of America or its possessions OR, if citizens of another country, must be permanent residents of the United States. If you are a permanent resident, a copy of your green card is required as part of your application.
3] An undergraduate student is a student who is enrolled in a degree program (part-time or full-time) leading to a baccalaureate or associate degree. Students who are transferring from one college or university to another and are enrolled at neither institution during the intervening summer may participate.
Students who have already received a college degree of any kind or will receive their degree before the end of the program in August 2009 ARE NOT eligible to participate.
4] Liability and the use of hazardous materials in research demands that our interns be 18 years of age or older.
NNIN REU Site Preferences:
Applicants are asked to indicate their top five site preferences from the fourteen NNIN sites listed below. Please visit http://www.nnin.org/nnin_sitedescriptions.html to find out more on each site. Reading the research accomplishments from prior NNIN REU Programs will give you an idea of each site’s research directions; http://www.nnin.org/nnin_reu.html
We are dedicated to offering our REU program to students attending colleges that do not have research facilities, therefore we do not offer internships to applicants at their home (NNIN) institution. I.e.,Cornell students will not be offered an internship at Cornell. If you attend one of the fourteen NNIN institutions, do not choose that site in your top four! You will not get in there!
| NNIN Site & Institution, Location | Program Dates | # of Interns |
| | Center for Solid State Electronics Research, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ | June 1-August 7 | Five |
| | Cornell NanoScale Science & Technology Facility (CNF), Cornell University, Ithaca, NY | June 2-August 7 | Ten |
| | Microelectronics Research Center, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA | June 1-August 7 | Five |
| | Center for Nanoscale Systems, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA | June 14-August 22 | Five |
| | Howard Nanoscale Science and Engineering Facility, Howard University, Washington, DC | June 1-August 7 | Five |
| | Penn State Nanofabrication Facility, Penn State University, University Park, PA | June 2-August 7 | Five |
| | Stanford Nanofabrication Facility, Stanford University, Stanford, CA | June 1-August 7 | Six |
| | Nanotech @ UCSB, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA | June 1-August 7 | Five |
| | Micro/Nano-Fabrication Research & Teaching Laboratory, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO | DATES | Five |
| | Lurie Nanofabrication Facility, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI | June 1-August 7 | Eight |
| | Minnesota Nanotechnology Cluster, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN | June 1-August 7 | Five |
| | Microelectronics Research Center, University of Texas, Austin, TX | June 1-August 7 | Five |
| | Center for Nanotechnology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA | June 16-August 21 | Five |
| | Nano Research Facility (NRF@WUSTL), Washington University, St. Louis, MO | June 1-August 7 | Five |
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(Please note: Every summer, we hire 2-3 interns who have to startlate or leave early. It is not ideal, of course, but we work it out,especially if we know up front. You MUST put your correct 'last date ofclasses and exams' where it's asked for on the application, and then add a PS: to your essay to explain the scheduling conflict. We'll take it from there!)
ALONG WITH YOUR COMPLETED APPLICATION, WE REQUIRE THE FOLLOWING MATERIALS BY THE DEADLINES STATED ABOVE:
1. Your Current College Transcript(s). Please send official college transcripts only. Request that your college mail it/them to Ms. Melanie-Claire Mallison directly and make your request early -- transcripts can take quite awhile to arrive. Frosh: Feel free to send a high school transcript also, as back up to your college transcript. NOTE: Even if your college transcript has no grades on it yet, we MUST have your college transcript.
2. A Personal Statement. Your personal statement is CRITICAL to the selection process. It is through your words that we ascertain your 'fit' with our program. Please submit a well-written essay, 1-2 pages long, in which you discuss the relationship between your present studies and a career in engineering or scientific research. As preparation, you may wish to discuss your career interests with one or more professors, and include any insights you gain from these discussions (and any other sources), which explain how this program might help you prepare for your future. Note any honors and awards that you have received which are relevant, as well as any prior research experience and / or any research field you are most interested in. If you do not believe your grades reflect your potential, please explain them in this essay. You may also send your resume if you wish, but a resume is no substitute for an essay!
3. One Letter of Recommendation from a faculty member who knows you well and can comment with authority on your research potential. OR. If you can identify a person better qualified to evaluate your abilities, i.e., a co-op adviser or industry mentor (or high school teacher for frosh), please feel free to have that person write your recommendation. More than one recommendation is acceptable but not necessary.
You will be asked to register your recommender and their email address as part of the application process. You MUST inform your recommender that once registered by you, they will receive an auto-email from “NNIN REU Admission” which will include the instructions for the recommendation and a secure link to upload same. Spam filters are very robust these days, and this email may be filtered and lost as spam if your recommender is not aware that they will be receiving it.
WE DO NOT ACCEPT recommendations emailed directly to Ms. Mallison at any time. If the online uploading option does not work for your recommender, letters of recommendation can be simply snail mailed to Ms. Mallison (address below). Last minute letters can be faxed to 607-255-8601, but the fax MUST be followed up with the original recommendation.
4. If you are a citizen of another country AND a permanent resident of the USA, you MUST include a copy of your Green Card (both sides) in your application materials. You may snail mail the copy or email it to Ms. Mallison as a PDF attachment.
Do not include your social security number on any document. BUT NOTE: Many colleges still include social security numbers on official transcripts. We black them out. It is illegal for us to distribute your social security number!
You will be notified by Ms. Mallison via email 1] when your application is submitted, and 2] when all your materials have arrived making your application complete.
Finally, if the online application does not work for you, for whatever reason, you are welcome to request a paper copy of the application materials from Ms. Mallison. Simply email her with your request and your complete mailing address. (Here is the application in PDF in case that will work for you!)
Again, thank you for your interest in our program!
Ms. Melanie-Claire Mallison
NNIN REU Program Assistant
250 Duffield Hall, CNF
Ithaca NY 14853-2700
t.607.254.4858
f.607.255.8601
mallison/at/cnf.cornell.edu
Your application materials must be SUBMITTED ONLINE by
Wednesday, February 11th, 2009. 8 PM EST, 5 PM PST.
Mailed and faxed components must be RECEIVED by Wednesday, February 18th, 2009.
Ms. Melanie-Claire Mallison, NNIN REU Program Assistant
250 Duffield Hall, CNF • Ithaca NY • 14853-2700
Email: mallison/atcnf.cornell.edu • Voice: 607-254-4858 • Fax: 607-255-8601
Your complete application includes:
this form, your essay, an official transcript, and one faculty recommendation.
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