Physics and Astronomy Department REU Program Renewed for 3 Years

For the past three years, the University of Kansas Physics and Astronomy department has brought top undergraduate students from around the country to the KU campus for a 10 week intensive research experience. Each summer, the department supports ten students to be part of the University of Kansas Physics and Astronomy Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program. These REU students live on campus and work with professors in the Physics and Astronomy department. At the end of the summer, these honorary Jayhawks present the results of their work in a department symposium. They also are supported to travel to a national conference to present the results of their work to the wider scientific community. 

Thanks to support from the National Science Foundation, the department will be able to continue this program. Associate Professor Hartwin Peelaers led the effort to renew the REU grant, which has been awarded $460,000 over the next three years. Thanks to this grant, the department will bring another 30 talented undergraduate students to the KU campus. "Our REU program allows KU to spread the impact of its undergraduate research program to other universities", says Associate Professor Allison Kirkpatrick, co-PI of the original REU grant and director of the department's Jayhawk Undergraduate Summer Training program. The 2025 cohort of REU students is currently being selected, and will arrive on campus this summer. 

You can find more information about the University of Kansas Physics and Astronomy REU program at https://physastroreu.ku.edu/