REU Impact
Since 1989, the College of Sciences at Georgia Tech has hosted undergraduate students in summer programs sponsored by the National Science Foundation – Research Experiences for Undergraduates program. These programs include Aquatic Chemical Ecology, Physics, Mathematics, Atmospheric Sciences, Chemistry, and Human Neuroscience. The overall goal of our programs is to broaden participation in research and highlight the opportunity to pursue academic and industry research careers in the sciences.
Our REU alumni are diverse and are highly successful in meeting the goal of stimulating the scientific workforce. Between 2018-2023, the College has hosted 298 REU students. These students represent 38 of the contiguous United States and Puerto Rico. Of these, 54% are female, and 30% attend Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs). Since 2018, 55.8% of these students are pursuing graduate degrees in various disciplines including Marine Science, Chemistry and Organismal Biology, Earth and Environment, and Quantitative Biosciences. As well, 41.9% hold industry careers at entities such as Medtronic, Raytheon, SpaceX, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Meta, and Bristol Myers Squibb. These students are overwhelmingly pursuing careers in academic and industry research fields, as 2.2% have gone on to medical school.
All past students remain in contact with the College community through regular engagement with the Center for Promoting Inclusion and Equity in the Sciences in the College of Sciences. This includes regular email communications concerning graduate training and funding opportunities, and notification of special web events hosted by the College.
- 2023 Georgia Tech Sciences NSF REUs Recap
- 2022 Georgia Tech Sciences NSF REUs Recap
- 2021 Georgia Tech Sciences NSF REUs Recap