Dear Students:

Thank you for your interest in the 2012 National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network Research Experience for Undergraduates (NNIN REU) Program.The full information on our program is below. Please read carefully -- especially the Advices & FAQs page -- and complete your application correctly and on time!

Thanks again!

Ms. Melanie-Claire Mallison
NNIN REU Program Assistant
250 Duffield Hall CNF
Ithaca NY 14853-2700
[email]

The 2012 National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network Research Experience for Undergraduates Program

(2012 NNIN REU)

sponsored by The National Science Foundation, NNIN and Industry

PLEASE NOTE THERE ARE THREE DEADLINES FOR OUR APPLICATION!!

ONLINE APPLICATION DEADLINE
   Wednesday, February 8th, 2012
   8 PM Eastern / 5 PM Pacific

ONLINE RECOMMENDATION DEADLINE
   Wednesday, February 15th, 2012
   8 PM Eastern / 5 PM Pacific

FINAL APPLICATION DEADLINE
   Thursday, February 16th, 2012
   ALL APPLICATION COMPONENTS MUST BE RECEIVED BY THIS DATE!

NNIN REU AWARD PROCESS BEGINS:
   Monday, March 12th, 2012 (via email)

During the summer of 2012, the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network will host a Research Experience for Undergraduates (NNIN REU) Program from June through August. Engineering and science students with broad interests across disciplines focusing on nanotechnology are eligible to apply (see restrictions and eligibility requirements below).

The chosen undergraduates taking part in this ten-week program will receive hands-on nanoscience and technology experience through research, with applications to bio-engineering, chemistry, electronics, materials science, optics, optoelectronics, physics, and the life sciences. We will also host a small number of projects studying the social and ethical issues (SEI) of nanotechnology. The SEI projects are well suited to communications majors, as well as science majors.

All the research projects are designed and supervised by the faculty and technical staff at the participating NNIN research facilities. Interns then work with faculty and graduate students on projects, using the unique resources offered at their award site. (Due to the complexity of coordinating fourteen sites and approximately 85 internships, applicants cannot choose a preferred project, only a preferred research site and research focus.)

Find information on the NNIN sites at http://www.nnin.org/ or http://www.nnin.org/nnin_sitedescriptions.html

A scientific convocation, attended by all NNIN REU interns, is held in August to allow interns the opportunity to present their work to their peers in 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 and distributed to the interns and sites, The National Science Foundation (NSF) and many others.

Find the research accomplishments of past NNIN REU programs at http://www.nnin.org/nnin_reu.html

Participants receive a $4,000 stipend, plus housing and all reasonable travel expenses to their research site and the convocation site. They may be responsible for their own meals. Full participation in the site program, network convocation and final reporting is mandatory.

Restrictions and Eligibility Requirements for the NNIN REU Program:

1] If you have already participated in an NNUN or NNIN REU Program, you are NOT eligible to participate again.

2] Applicants must be undergraduate students, defined as 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.

3] Applicants 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 (both sides) is required as part of your application.

4] Students ARE NOT eligible to participate if they have already received a 4-year baccalaureate degree of any kind or will receive their 4-year degree before the end of the program in August 2012. (If you are graduating before August 2012, I encourage you to look at the National Science Foundation web site, nsf.gov, to see what they have to offer in the way of internships and fellowships for recent graduates.)

5] Liability and the use of hazardous materials in research demands that our interns be 18 years of age or older, and have valid health insurance coverage for the summer.

6] You must have an overall grade point average of 3.0 or better. If you are a first-year student and do not yet have a GPA, please apply anyway!

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Along with your completed ONLINE profile account and application forms, we require the following materials to be uploaded ONLINE by Wednesday, February 8th, 2012, 8 PM Eastern / 5 PM Pacific:

1. A Personal Essay. Your personal essay is critical to our 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. Explain any relevant honors and awards that you have received as well as any prior research experience. Discuss any particular research field you are most interested in. If you do not believe your grades reflect your potential, please explain them in this essay.

2. A ONE-PAGE Resume. This resume should focus on your scientific achievements and activities. List any honors and awards that you have received that are relevant, as well as any prior research experience.

In addition, the following must be uploaded ONLINE by Wednesday, February 15th, 2012, 8 PM Eastern / 5 PM Pacific:

3. ONE Letter of Recommendation from a member of faculty 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 graduate student TA, a co-op adviser or industry mentor, please feel free to have that person write your recommendation. Recommendations MUST be submitted online by your recommender. Follow the instructions on the application web page to register your recommender and they will then receive an email with a secure link for uploading their letter. TWO recommendations are acceptable, but not necessary.

Finally, ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS must be received by Thursday, February 16th, 2012. Most especially:

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.

(If you are a citizen of another country and you ARE NOT a Permanent Resident, you are not eligible for our program! Sorry!)

APPLICATION NOTES

• Please read the Advices & FAQs, http://www.nnin.org/nnin_reuadvices.html
• You should receive at least two automatic emails when you apply online, and you will also receive personal emails from Ms. Mallison when your application arrives, and when it is complete. If you do NOT receive the auto-emails or do NOT hear from Ms. Mallison, SOMETHING IS WRONG!! Email Ms. Mallison to figure out what that something is.
• The online application can be found at http://www.nnin.org/ OR if you cannot apply online, email your street address to Ms. Mallison and she will mail you a paper copy.

PLEASE NOTE: We no longer require an official transcript as part of your application. However! If and when you accept an NNIN REU internship offer, you will then be required to submit an official transcript to Ms. Mallison, before your official award letter can be sent to you. The fastest way to get this transcript to Ms. Mallison is to request an e-script from your Registrar, or if your institution does not offer those, then ask for an official transcript in a sealed envelop and mail that to her, USPS priority mail.  Your internship award is contingent on your declared coursework matching the coursework in your transcript, so the sooner Ms. Mallison receives the document, the sooner your internship will be secure!

 

NNIN REU SITE INFORMATION

During the application process, you will be asked to list your top five preferred sites. After you have read the following site descriptions, checked out past REU reports, and noted the program dates below, we hope you will have the information necessary to choose those five.

1. Find information on the NNIN sites at http://www.nnin.org/nnin_sitedescriptions.html or http://www.nnin.org/

2. Due to the nature of our program (fourteen sites and over 150 faculty and mentors), it is not possible to tell you what projects will be hosted in 2012. However, if you read past reports from our interns (http://www.nnin.org/nnin_reu.html), you will get a feel for the kinds of research performed at each site.

The 2012 NNIN REU Convocation will be held in Washington, DC, from August 11th through August 15th. This event is mandatory and in addition to the program dates below.

The Online Application; http://www.reu.nnin.org/

"If we knew what we were doing, we wouldn't call it research."

Albert Einstein