Why not a standard REU?
REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) is a program of the National
Science Foundation to give undergraduates a taste of the research
environment. There are each year approximately a dozen
astronomy
REU sites. The Computing Our Universe program is something
very different.
- REUs don't accept seniors or grad students. NASA Goddard summer
programs require the PhD qualifying exam to be already passed. COU
is the only astrophysics program to our knowledge that accepts, and indeed
is designed for, seniors and first year graduate students (we also
include juniors).
- REUs don't accept nonUS students. COU does, and recognizes
the importance of international contacts among future colleagues.
- REUs require attendance for at least 8 weeks. Our program is 3.5
weeks, allowing combination with other summer programs or activities
(and undergraduates receive a stipend).
- REUs tend to be research assistantships, working on a professor's
project alone. COU gives you 6 internationally known faculty to
interact with, a dozen peers, intensive background classes, innovative
computer laboratories, and a small group (3 peers, 1 mentor)
state of the art research experience.
- COU is the only program to our knowledge that involves, and
even concentrates on, the burgeoning field of applying high performance
computation to physical systems, in particular astrophysics.
If you are interested in a state of the art research experience,
working with expert mentors and your peers, intensively learning and
applying through lectures and labs, and getting hands on with a
current, dynamic team research project, then look us up.
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