Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)

The Integrated Research Experience for Undergraduates programs in Chemistry and Chemical and Biological Engineering, Chemistry of Materials for Sustainability, Materials, and Chemical Upcycling of Waste Plastics provide students interested in chemical-related sciences and engineering the opportunity to pursue summer research in four, themed summer programs. Together, participants in all four programs form a larger community of researchers. Summer REU students see the breadth and depth of the chemical sciences and engineering research conducted at UW–Madison.

APPLY TO REU

REU in Chemistry and Chemical and Biological Engineering

Students participating in this program explore phenomena in the fields of chemistry and chemical and biological engineering through hands-on research projects in the laboratories of faculty in the Department of Chemistry or Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering.

REU in Materials

Students participating in this program conduct research in an area of materials science, engineering, physics, chemistry, science education or public policy in one of the laboratories of the Wisconsin Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC).

REU in the Chemistry of Materials for Sustainability

Students participating in this program conduct research on the development of new materials for renewable energy, green chemical production, and new technologies for plastics recycling. Projects are housed in the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering.

REU in Chemical Upcycling of Waste Plastics

Through support for the U.S. Department of Energy, the Multi-University Center for the Chemical Upcycling of Waste Plastics (CUWP) is hosting a Research Experience for Undergraduates in the Chemical Upcycling of Waste Plastics. Student positions will be available at CUWP campuses at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Iowa State University. Selected participants will conduct research on one of two approaches to recycling plastic waste: (1) thermal depolymerization, in which the plastic is broken down into a liquid oil which can then be catalyzed to separate out plastic monomers, the main components in new virgin plastic and (2) solvent-targeted recovery and precipitation (STRAP) processing, a technique that can be used to process and recycle layered plastic films.

PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY

Eligible students are undergraduates majoring in mathematics, chemistry, physics, engineering, biotechnology-related areas, other physical sciences, science education, or public policy who have a strong desire to complete a Ph.D. and meet the following criteria:

• Students who have completed their sophomore or junior year of college
• Students with an overall GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
• Students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents enrolled in accredited colleges or universities