August 10, 2012 | Christine Buckley - College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

REU Program Draws Students to UConn for Summer Research Opportunity

Students from colleges across the country do research under the supervision of UConn faculty members as part of the NSF-funded program.

Jackie Boudle, from Mount Holyoke College, says she enjoys the camaraderie of the REU program. (Daniel Buttrey/UConn Photo)
Jackie Boudle, from Mount Holyoke College, says she enjoys the camaraderie of the REU program. (Daniel Buttrey/UConn Photo)

When chemistry and English major Jackie Boudle first applied for a spot in the National Science Foundation’s Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program, she admits she was a little picky about what she wanted to do.

“I wasn’t a huge fan of electrochemistry, to be honest,” she says. But after spending half of her summer working in the laboratory of electrochemist James Rusling, she’s come around.

“I’ve been able to see concepts I’ve learned about in classes working in an applied way,” she says., “That’s pretty exciting.”

The Mount Holyoke junior is one of more than 50 undergraduates from colleges around the country who traveled to Storrs this summer to participate in the REU program. The competitive scholarships are awarded for research under the supervision of faculty at major universities nationwide. And many of those accepted might not otherwise have the chance to do active research.

For Boudle, although Mount Holyoke conducts some research, these opportunities are far fewer than those offered at a research university like UConn. The stipend offered by NSF was more than enough to cover the two jobs she usually works to pay her tuition, so receiving the fellowship gave her the best of both worlds.

“The nice thing about this program is that we get to meet students from all over the country and the world,” she says. “And it’s great that it’s not about who is getting an A on the test – we’re not competing for anything,” she says, “except maybe the dorm washing machines.”

An REU veteran

John D'Angelo, former UConn REU student, is now a professor at Alfred University. He returns to UConn regularly to work with his former professors. (Daniel Buttrey/UConn Photo)
John D'Angelo, former UConn REU student, is now a professor at Alfred University. He returns to UConn regularly to work with his former professors. (Daniel Buttrey/UConn Photo)

In 1999, John D’Angelo, now a professor of chemistry at Alfred University in New York, participated in his first REU. The Stony Brook undergraduate was in the first class of REU students to work in UConn’s newly constructed chemistry building, and he remembers it vividly.

“They had all these great new labs that were really exciting to work in,” he says. “It was like being a grad student for the summer, and it made me want to apply to UConn for graduate school.”

After earning his undergraduate degree, D’Angelo was accepted into UConn’s chemistry Ph.D. program under the direction of Professor Michael Smith. Over the years, he mentored new generations of REU students, and now, as a professor at Alfred, he regularly sends undergraduates to REU programs. This year, one of his students is an REU student at UConn.

“I’ve seen this program from all sides,” he says. “As a mentor, I’d help a student get trained on techniques, and I’d stand over their shoulder for a week or so. But then I’d let them go ahead and do their own work. Some like it, and some hate it, but it always helps them figure things out – not just about their career path, but about their own personality.”

Rookie talent

Kaba Tadjigora, a junior at Montclair State and a native of Senegal, says presenting in group meetings has really helped her communication skills. (Daniel Buttrey/UConn photo)
Kaba Tadjigora, a junior at Montclair State and a native of Senegal, says presenting in group meetings has really helped her communication skills. (Daniel Buttrey/UConn photo)

Kaba Tandjigora, a junior at Montclair State University in New Jersey, originally hails from Senegal and is interested in drug discovery. Her transition to the U.S. was a tough one when she moved here four years ago. But it quickly got better, she says, and now she especially appreciates the practice she has had with explaining science concepts to others.

“We have weekly group meetings where students have to present,” she says of her team in the lab of Mark Peczuh, associate professor of chemistry. “You do your own research and show everyone what you’ve found, and it’s been a big help with my communication skills.”

At UConn she really appreciates all of the time she gets to spend in the laboratory with her graduate student mentor. “When you’re in a laboratory class, your time is always so limited,” she says. “But in this program you get to work on a question for seven weeks, so you start to feel like an expert on that topic.”

Terry Chavis, a member of the Lumbee Native American tribe, the largest tribe east of the Mississippi, has a keen interest in different cultures and traditions. A senior at North Carolina’s Mars Hill College, he is majoring in biology with minors in both chemistry and sociology. “I’m enthusiastic about a lot of things, whether it’s biology or hearing about someone’s day,” he says.

As an aspiring veterinarian, Chavis worked this summer in the laboratory of UConn’s Larry Renfro, professor and head of the Department of Physiology and Neurobiology. By studying a particular protein in the brain, he’s learning to use techniques and methods that he wouldn’t have been able to at Mars Hill.

The most challenging part, he says, is the writing. “I got back the introduction to my final paper from Dr. Renfro, and I’ve never seen so much red ink!” he says. “I haven’t always been the best writer, but I’m improving, that’s for sure.”

Close to home

The REU dormitory, Busby Suites, can be found abuzz with activity in the evenings. The students play volleyball, visit the UConn Dairy Bar, and take weekend trips to Boston and New York.

After enrolling at Central Connecticut State University, Jessamyn Ward's department head suggested she try the NSF REU program. She says she's learned about mentoring through overseeing several high school students. (Daniel Buttrey/UConn Photo)
After enrolling at Central Connecticut State University, Jessamyn Ward's department head suggested she try the NSF REU program. She says she's learned about mentoring through overseeing several high school students. (Daniel Buttrey/UConn Photo)

For Jessamyn Ward, who grew up in Connecticut, the REU experience at UConn didn’t entail a new locale. But it was a chance to do something completely new.

The biochemistry major at Southern Connecticut State University, learned about the REU program from her college adviser. “I was always a science person,” she says, “so I knew I would really like doing research. And if research wasn’t for me, I’d learn that really quickly with this program!”

Her favorite part of the program has been learning to think creatively in the lab. “In the beginning, I was just reading a laboratory manual and repeating experiments my mentor had done,” she says. “Then I started to come up with things myself. I thought, am I going to blow something up? But then, all of a sudden, you start to feel a little smarter. You’re more independent. You can even consider yourself a chemist.”

Ward also oversaw four high school students who visited the laboratory for three weeks through UConn’s Mentor Connection Program, which pairs talented local high-schoolers with UConn faculty for a summer research experience. Affectionately referring to them as her “minions,” she says the experience was very rewarding.

“I’ve never had to mentor people before, but I think I’m doing an OK job,” she says. “They catch on so quickly and they’re really interested.”

Her hope for them is exactly what her advisers think when they look at her: “I hope they continue to like chemistry!”