The 2008 National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network

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THE ONLINE APPLICATION AND RECOMMENDATION OPTIONS ARE NOW OFFLINE! 

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Dear Undergraduate Students:

Below, please find a summary of the 2008 NNIN REU Program in Nanotechnology and the instructions for applying.

Please read carefully and thank you for your interest in our program.

 

Ms. Melanie-Claire Mallison
NNIN REU Program Assistant
Cornell NanoScale Facility
250 Duffield Hall
Ithaca NY 14853-2700

t.607.254.4858
f.607.255.8601

mallison/at/cnf.cornell.edu

 

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APPLICATION DEADLINES Tuesday, February 19, 2008: ONLINE options go offline; 8:00 PM EST, 5:00 PM PST Tuesday, February 26, 2008: All application materials must be RECEIVED by this date. All materials can be faxed on this date BUT must be followed up with mailed originals. Wednesday, March 12, 2008: Award Process Begins During the summer of 2008, the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network will host a Research Experience for Undergraduates Program (NNIN REU) from June through August. We are looking for engineering and science students with broad interests across disciplines focusing on nanotechnology. Minority and female candidates are especially encouraged to apply. The chosen undergraduates taking part in the ten-week NNIN REU 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. The research projects are designed and supervised by the faculty and technical staff at the NNIN research facilities. Interns work with faculty and graduate students on projects using the unique resources offered at their award site. A three-day scientific convocation, attended by all the network interns, is held in August to allow each intern the opportunity to present their work to their peers in the form of 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. The NNIN REU Program is supported by the National Science Foundation, and co-sponsored by NNIN and its industrial sponsors. Participants receive a $3,800 stipend, plus housing and all travel expenses to their research site and the convocation site. They may be responsible for their own meals. Full participation in the site program and network convocation, and the submission of a final report, are all mandatory. Eligibility Requirements for NNIN REU Interns: 1] Undergraduate student interns must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States or its possessions. A copy of your green card is required if you are a permanent resident. 2] An undergraduate student is 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. Students who have received their bachelor's degrees (or will receive them in May/June) and are no longer enrolled as undergraduates during the ten week period of the program are not eligible to participate. 3] Liability and the use of hazardous materials in research demands that our interns be over 18 years of age.

NNIN REU Site Preference: Applicants are asked to indicate their top five site preferences from the twelve NNIN REU sites. We are dedicated to offering our program to students from colleges which do not have research facilities, therefore we do not offer internships to applicants at their home (NNIN) institution.I.e., Cornell students will not be offered an internship at Cornell. If you attend one of the twelve NNIN institutions, do not choose that site in your top five!

NNIN Site & Institution, Location, 2008 Program Dates
  Cornell NanoScale Facility, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, June 3-August 14
  Microelectronics Research Center, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, June 2-August 14
  Center for Nanoscale Systems, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, June 9-August 16
  Howard Nanoscale Science and Engineering Facility, Howard University, Washington, DC, June 2-August 14
  Penn State Nanofabrication Facility, Penn State University, University Park, PA, June 2-August 14
  Stanford Nanofabrication Facility, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, June 2-August 14
  Nanotech @ UCSB, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, June 2-August 14
  Michigan Nanofabrication Facility, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, June 2-August 14
  Minnesota Nanotechnology Cluster, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, June 2-August 14
  Nanoscience @ UNM, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, May 26-August 1 (Return for convocation, Aug.10-14)
  Microelectronics Research Center, University of Texas, Austin, TX, June 2-August 14
  Center for Nanotechnology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, June 16-August 23

(Please note: Every summer, we hire 2-3 interns who have to start late or leave early. It is not ideal, of course, but we work it out, especially if we know up front. So be sure to put your correct 'last date of classes and exams' where it's asked for on the application, and then add a PS: to your essay to explain the scheduling conflict.  We'll take it from there!)

Along with your completed application, we require the following materials by the deadlines stated above:

1. Your Current College Transcript(s). Please send official college transcripts only. Request that your college mail it/them to Ms. Melanie-Claire Mallison directly and make your request early -- transcripts can take quite awhile to arrive. Frosh: Feel free to send a high school transcript also, as back up to your college transcript. Even if your college transcript has no grades on it yet, we MUST have your college transcript.

2. A Personal Statement. Your personal statement is critical to the 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. Note any honors and awards that you have received which are relevant, as well as any prior research experience and / or any research field you are most interested in. If you do not believe your grades reflect your potential, please explain them in this essay. You may also send your resume if you wish, but a resume is not a substitute for the essay!

3. One Letter of Recommendation from a faculty member 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 co-op adviser or industry mentor (or high school teacher for frosh), please feel free to have that person write your recommendation. More than one recommendation is acceptable but not necessary. You will be asked to register your recommender and their email address as part of the application process. Please inform your recommender that once registered by you, they will receive an auto-email from “NNIN REU Admission” which will include the instructions for the recommendation and a secure link to upload same. Spam filters are very robust these days, and this email may be filtered and lost as spam if your recommender is not aware that they will be receiving it. We do not accept recommendations emailed directly to Ms. Mallison at any time. If uploading does not work for your recommender, letters of recommendation can be simply mailed to Ms. Mallison (address below). Last minute letters can be faxed to 607-255-8601, but be sure the fax is followed up with the original recommendation.


Do not include your social security number on any document. It is illegal for us to distribute your social security number!


You will be notified via email when your application arrives and when it is complete.

Finally, if the online application does not work for you, for whatever reason, you are welcome to request a paper copy of the application materials from Ms. Mallison. Simply email her with your request and your complete mailing address. Here it is in PDF.

Again, thank you for your interest in our program!


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

t.607.254.4858
f.607.255.8601

mallison/at/cnf.cornell.edu

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