REU Program Overview and Application
"My experience at Blandy was incredibly influential in my life. It gave me true independent (mentored) research experience and helped build my confidence to further pursue my interests. I appreciated the experience of living on my own in a new place for the summer, and ... I would credit my acceptance into graduate school largely to the experiences and skills I developed during my summer at Blandy. I work with many college students and am ALWAYS telling them about REU program opportunities." -Missy, REU 2007. Click to read more from our alumni.
Since 1992 Blandy has provided Undergraduate Research Fellowships to students interested in ecology and evolution. These fellowships are funded by the National Science Foundation's Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program. Our primary goal is to teach students to formulate testable hypotheses about important ecological and evolutionary questions. The format of the program encourages students to develop skills in experimental design, data collection, analysis, and critical reading of primary scientific literature. Students also learn to prepare and communicate scientific information to other scientists and the general public.
Our program exposes students to a diversity of research projects that collectively illustrate how natural systems function and how science progresses. Through the course of the summer, we provide students with information on various career options in ecology and the environmental sciences. Depending on contingencies, the program's duration will be either 10 or 11 weeks. Each award will include a stipend of $700 per week (totaling $7,000 or $7,700 depending on program duration), additional funds for purchasing groceries (approximately $160 per week), free housing, and a budget for research supplies and research activities. Funding for your travel to and from the site (near Boyce, Virginia) is also available.
Interested students can access the online application system and instructions from our application page. We strongly recommend filling out an application at least two weeks before the application deadline. The application and all supporting materials are due on February 15, 2024. Successful applicants will be paired with a mentor during the first week of the program.
These fellowships are only available for U.S. citizens and permanent U.S. residents. Unfortunately, DACA recipients are not eligible due to current law. Undergraduates who would graduate before participating in the summer program (seniors graduating in the spring prior to the program) are not eligible for this program. Participants must be able to attend all 11 weeks of the program.
Questions about applying to the program? Email Dr. Kyle Haynes