By Justine Wheeler Rahto
A select group of MNU students have demonstrated their academic rigor by landing prestigious placements in REU internships this summer. Last year five MNU students completed these internships. This year eight have landed the highly-competitive opportunity.
What is an REU Program?
Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), sometimes called Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), is a program funded by the National Science Foundation designed to give students at smaller universities the opportunity to experience top-tier research. The programs are held by renowned research institutions nationwide and provide graduate-level lab experience where each student is assigned a group and a specific research project. The undergraduates work closely with more experienced researchers.
REU provides major benefits such as housing, food, reimbursement for travel expenses, and a stipend.
MNU Students Selected for REU Programs
Each MNU student listed below has been accepted to REU programs at major research universities across the nation.
- Samuel Powell – Chemistry REU Program at the University of Utah (second-year REU student)
- Aidan Thomas – Chemistry REU Program at the University of Kansas (second-year REU student)
- Yair Saucedo – Scripps Research Institute SURF Program (second-year REU student)
- Noah Beal – Physics Research in Materials for Energy Applications REU Program at the University of Central Florida
- Saragrace Felvus – Physics and Astronomy REU Program at Brigham Young University
- James Mwihaki – Bioinformatics and Genomics Data Science REU Program at University of Maryland
- Alexandra Cummins – Molecular Biology REU Program at the University of Kansas
- Hayley Loewen – Molecular Biology REU Program at the University of Kansas
Sophomore Alexandra Cummins is studying protein structure in bacteria and is looking to “get lots of good lab experience, make some connections with other biochemists, and learn some cool science.”
With a summer devoted to Observational Astronomy Research, junior Saragrace Felvus is excited to gain real-world experience.
“I want to grow as a scientist and see the stars from a new place and perspective,” Saragrace said.
“I’ll be on the forefront of creating new things in this world,” junior James Mwihaki explained. “I get to conduct research. I get to tinker with high-end toys that can produce so much good in this world.”
His project will focus on finding better ways to process data.
The students’ champion in applying for REU internships is Assistant Professor of Chemistry Chelsea Comadoll, PhD.
“Last year, the five REU students and I were resolved to build on our success this year and expand this success to other disciplines beyond chemistry,” Comadoll said. “This group accomplished both of those things. I could not be more excited or proud of this group than I am; each one of them is truly special.”
With a variety of topics covered and places visited, these diligent students will gain crucial lab and research experience. Learn more about STEM areas of study at MNU.
