Big Sky Times

Applications open for NSF-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates at Montana Tech

Montana Tech is accepting applications for its 10-week summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), which will allow students from diverse backgrounds to obtain STEM training and research opportunities in the university’s laboratories and the beautiful public lands of Western Montana.

Assistant Chemistry Professor Brian St. Clair is the lead investigator of the $237,567 National Science Foundation grant that will fund the program. In Summer 2022 and 2023, Montana Tech will run a REU program consisting of 10 students. Students will receive a $6000 stipend, free room and board, and meals as part of the program.

Participants will spend 10 weeks of summer getting hands-on experience in a research lab that aligns with their interests. In addition to learning  laboratory skills, students will also receive training in lab safety, technical writing and presentation of scientific results in a poster session. The components of this program are designed to provide students with a clear career pathway to a career in environmentally focused science and engineering. “We are also going to have really cool field trips.” St Clair added.

Montana Tech faculty plan to take students on field trips to Yellowstone National Park and an alpine valley, where they will learn about climate change’s impact on vegetation and microbes, and the scientific methods of studying systems.

There are diverse projects that students may elect to work on. In one project, students will have the opportunity to utilize unmanned aerial systems for research. In another project, students can focus on using microbes to treat metal contaminated streams.  More information on the individual research projects can be found on the REU website.

Applications are accepted nationally, but St. Clair says applicants from Montana and the surrounding region should apply, specifically the Dakotas and Northern Rockies areas. The program aims to connect students from regional schools without major research programs to research in environmental problems that are directly relevant to them. Program leaders are looking for students from universities, tribal, or community colleges interested in scientific research.

Anyone serious about an environmentally focused STEM career is invited to apply.

“The main criteria isn’t so much the highest academic standard,” St. Clair said. “It’s more, ‘Who is most likely to benefit from this program?”

Underrepresented students are encouraged to apply. Any student who has taken more than a semester of undergraduate studies is welcome, though sophomore and junior students are likely to have the skillset program managers hope to improve upon through the program.

Original source can be found here.