{"id":63787,"date":"2012-08-10T08:45:31","date_gmt":"2012-08-10T12:45:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=63787"},"modified":"2012-08-16T08:39:38","modified_gmt":"2012-08-16T12:39:38","slug":"reu-program-draws-students-to-uconn-for-summer-research-opportunity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2012\/08\/reu-program-draws-students-to-uconn-for-summer-research-opportunity\/","title":{"rendered":"REU Program Draws Students to UConn for Summer Research Opportunity"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Jackie<\/a>
Jackie Boudle, from Mount Holyoke College, says she enjoys the camaraderie of the REU program. (Daniel Buttrey\/UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When chemistry and English major Jackie Boudle first applied for a spot in the National Science Foundation\u2019s Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program, she admits she was a little picky about what she wanted to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t a huge fan of electrochemistry, to be honest,\u201d she says. But after spending half of her summer working in the laboratory of electrochemist James Rusling<\/a>, she\u2019s come around.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been able to see concepts I\u2019ve learned about in classes working in an applied way,\u201d she says., \u201cThat\u2019s pretty exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Mount Holyoke junior is one of more than 50 undergraduates from colleges around the country who traveled to Storrs this summer to participate in the REU program. The competitive scholarships are awarded for research under the supervision of faculty at major universities nationwide. And many of those accepted might not otherwise have the chance to do active research.<\/p>\n

For Boudle, although Mount Holyoke conducts some research, these opportunities are far fewer than those offered at a research university like UConn. The stipend offered by NSF was more than enough to cover the two jobs she usually works to pay her tuition, so receiving the fellowship gave her the best of both worlds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe nice thing about this program is that we get to meet students from all over the country and the world,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd it\u2019s great that it\u2019s not about who is getting an A on the test \u2013 we\u2019re not competing for anything,\u201d she says, \u201cexcept maybe the dorm washing machines.\u201d<\/p>\n

An REU veteran<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"John<\/a>
John D'Angelo, former UConn REU student, is now a professor at Alfred University. He returns to UConn regularly to work with his former professors. (Daniel Buttrey\/UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 1999, John D\u2019Angelo, now a professor of chemistry at Alfred University in New York, participated in his first REU. The Stony Brook undergraduate was in the first class of REU students to work in UConn\u2019s newly constructed chemistry building, and he remembers it vividly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey had all these great new labs that were really exciting to work in,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was like being a grad student for the summer, and it made me want to apply to UConn for graduate school.\u201d<\/p>\n

After earning his undergraduate degree, D\u2019Angelo was accepted into UConn\u2019s chemistry Ph.D. program under the direction of Professor Michael Smith. Over the years, he mentored new generations of REU students, and now, as a professor at Alfred, he regularly sends undergraduates to REU programs. This year, one of his students is an REU student at UConn.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen this program from all sides,\u201d he says. \u201cAs a mentor, I\u2019d help a student get trained on techniques, and I\u2019d stand over their shoulder for a week or so. But then I\u2019d let them go ahead and do their own work. Some like it, and some hate it, but it always helps them figure things out \u2013 not just about their career path, but about their own personality.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rookie talent<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Kaba<\/a>
Kaba Tadjigora, a junior at Montclair State and a native of Senegal, says presenting in group meetings has really helped her communication skills. (Daniel Buttrey\/UConn photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kaba Tandjigora, a junior at Montclair State University in New Jersey, originally hails from Senegal and is interested in drug discovery. Her transition to the U.S. was a tough one when she moved here four years ago. But it quickly got better, she says, and now she especially appreciates the practice she has had with explaining science concepts to others.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have weekly group meetings where students have to present,\u201d she says of her team in the lab of Mark Peczuh, associate professor of chemistry. \u201cYou do your own research and show everyone what you\u2019ve found, and it\u2019s been a big help with my communication skills.\u201d<\/p>\n

At UConn she really appreciates all of the time she gets to spend in the laboratory with her graduate student mentor. \u201cWhen you\u2019re in a laboratory class, your time is always so limited,\u201d she says. \u201cBut in this program you get to work on a question for seven weeks, so you start to feel like an expert on that topic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Terry Chavis, a member of the Lumbee Native American tribe, the largest tribe east of the Mississippi, has a keen interest in different cultures and traditions. A senior at North Carolina\u2019s Mars Hill College, he is majoring in biology with minors in both chemistry and sociology. \u201cI\u2019m enthusiastic about a lot of things, whether it\u2019s biology or hearing about someone\u2019s day,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

As an aspiring veterinarian, Chavis worked this summer in the laboratory of UConn\u2019s Larry Renfro, professor and head of the Department of Physiology and Neurobiology. By studying a particular protein in the brain, he\u2019s learning to use techniques and methods that he wouldn\u2019t have been able to at Mars Hill.<\/p>\n

The most challenging part, he says, is the writing. \u201cI got back the introduction to my final paper from Dr. Renfro, and I\u2019ve never seen so much red ink!\u201d he says. \u201cI haven\u2019t always been the best writer, but I\u2019m improving, that\u2019s for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Close to home<\/strong><\/p>\n

The REU dormitory, Busby Suites, can be found abuzz with activity in the evenings. The students play volleyball, visit the UConn Dairy Bar, and take weekend trips to Boston and New York.<\/p>\n

\"After<\/a>
After enrolling at Central Connecticut State University, Jessamyn Ward's department head suggested she try the NSF REU program. She says she's learned about mentoring through overseeing several high school students. (Daniel Buttrey\/UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For Jessamyn Ward, who grew up in Connecticut, the REU experience at UConn didn\u2019t entail a new locale. But it was a chance to do something completely new.<\/p>\n

The biochemistry major at Southern Connecticut State University, learned about the REU program from her college adviser. \u201cI was always a science person,\u201d she says, \u201cso I knew I would really like doing research. And if research wasn\u2019t for me, I\u2019d learn that really quickly with this program!\u201d<\/p>\n

Her favorite part of the program has been learning to think creatively in the lab. \u201cIn the beginning, I was just reading a laboratory manual and repeating experiments my mentor had done,\u201d she says. \u201cThen I started to come up with things myself. I thought, am I going to blow something up? But then, all of a sudden, you start to feel a little smarter. You\u2019re more independent. You can even consider yourself a chemist.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ward also oversaw four high school students who visited the laboratory for three weeks through UConn\u2019s Mentor Connection Program<\/a>, which pairs talented local high-schoolers with UConn faculty for a summer research experience. Affectionately referring to them as her \u201cminions,\u201d she says the experience was very rewarding.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never had to mentor people before, but I think I\u2019m doing an OK job,\u201d she says. \u201cThey catch on so quickly and they\u2019re really interested.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her hope for them is exactly what her advisers think when they look at her: \u201cI hope they continue to like chemistry!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Students from colleges across the country do research under the supervision of UConn faculty members as part of the NSF-funded program. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":63807,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[63],"class_list":["post-63787","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-13 06:01:40","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63787","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63787"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63787\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63856,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63787\/revisions\/63856"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/63807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63787"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63787"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=63787"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=63787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}