You should begin seeking research experience through internships as early in your undergraduate career as you can. This will allow you to get as much experience as possible, and help you explore and develop your interests. Typically the deadlines for internships are in the early spring, though some are as early as December and January. In the Fall semester, investigate some options for internship programs, and ask professors if they will be willing to write letters of recommendation for you. You can then write applications over Christmas break or in the early spring. You should then give your recommenders a document that includes all the information they might need when submitting letters of recommendation for you. You should give your recommenders a summary of the programs you intend to apply for at significantly before the deadlines.
While many research experiences for undergraduates (REU's) are funded by the NSF, there are other options as well. It is not a bad idea to check out SPS Jobs or Cornell, which both contain programs you can search through. Another place to check is government and industrial labs, such as DOE and NASA. The IBP sponsered website, Pathways to Science, provides a number of easy ways to search for the internship of your choosing. Don't forget to talk to professors about working at GCC over the summer either.
It is difficult to say what "gets you in" to an internship program. Of course factors such as grades, letters of recommendation, and the all important research experience play a role, but ultimately you just have to apply and see what opportunities you get. While you may not think you have a good chance of "getting in" to an REU program early on (i.e. after your freshmen year), don't let it stop you from applying. There have been several GCC students with only one year classes who have done very well at doing research at their freshmen year. Most, students apply to a significant number of programs (5-10). Keep in mind that acceptance dates can vary by as much as a month, and you are typically given 1-2 weeks to accept or decline an offer. Once you get into one internship, it is not unacceptable to politely email other programs inquiring about the status of your napplication.
It can be useful to talk to students with experience at internships (see below) similar to what you think you would enjoy. They will have insight into how and where to apply, and how to adjust to your program. While you should ultimately assemble your list of internship programs from what you want to do, it cannot hurt to apply to places where GCC already has a good reputation from previous GCC interns.
Things to clarify with your adviser at the beginning of the summer:
When and with whom you will meet to discuss your assignments and progress.
Discuss in advance any times when either you or your adviser will be away from the lab. Take it from those of us who haven't and have watched others who haven't - it will save you a ton of frustration!
How you should record your findings. Will you be using a lab notebook, a binder, etc.? This will be project specific, but you want to know what the best way to record your research will be, and your adviser will know how to do that.
What is expected in terms of a final report? Do they want a detailed paper, poster, or nothing at all? If they want you to write something for a presentation, it will be helpful to have it in mind for the whole summer. When you get ideas, put them in a file.
Learn LaTex or LyX sooner rather than later! LyX is only slightly more difficult to use than MS Word, while LaTex is a programming language that will take some getting used to. However, once you get the hang of a program like LyX, it is much easier than word since LyX automatically keeps track of equations, figures, and references. You often have the option of writing your paper in MS Word, but learning LyX is a good long term investment.
Remember, when you do research, you are in principle blazing a new trail, so don't be surprised if it is difficult and frustrating at times. In the end, your summer research will be rewarding, but don't expect to make revolutionary discoveries right away. Do your best, communicate with your adviser about questions and problems, and persevere.
| Solomon Fuller | '21 | Grove City College | Being really cool |
| Coby Bartolucci | '17 | Grove City College | inorganic chemistry |
| Lauren Dallachiesa | '15 | West Virginia Univ. | nanotechnology |
| Bethany Herb | '17 | Grove City College | physics education research |
| Ashley Lindow | '15 | Grove City College | physics education research |
| Evan Linn | '16 | Air Force Research Labs | radar processing |
| Sam Niehaus | '15 | Grove City College | biophysics |
| Tucker Sigourney | '16 | Grove City College | biophysics |
| Jeremy Smith | '15 | Army Research Laboratory | solid state physics |
| Anna Snelgrove | '15 | ENS Cachan (France!) | optics |
| Emily Tharnish | '17 | Grove City College | computational modeling |
| Allen Scheie | '14 | Italy through UF | Low-temperature gravitational wave detector research |
| Laura Ellen Maher | '14 | RIT | astronomy research with binary star system accretion disk |
| Libby Carbone | '14 | Grove City College | physics ed research |
| Libby Carbone | '14 | Johns Hopkins CTY | Teaching Assistant |
| Matthew Wespetal | '14 | Oral Roberts | nanoparticle research |
| Nate Rupprecht | '14 | Grove City College | mathematics research |
| Lauren Dallachiesa | '15 | Idaho State University | Nanotech research |
| Kenton McFaul | '15 | Penn State | nanotech research |
| Jeremy Smith | '15 | Army Research Labs | building better deep-UV photodetectors |
| Ashley Lindow | '15 | Grove City College | physics ed research |
| Student | Class | Institution | Description |
| Peter Foster | '13 | Grove City College | Computationally Modleing Stillbene Derivatives |
| Matthew Giesmann | '13 | Intersystems | Corporate |
| Matt Goszewski | '13 | APS PhysicsQuest | Creating Physics Demos for the Spectra Comic Book |
| Trisha Ingraham | '13 | SRI International | Extracting Histone Protiens |
| Michael Royster | '13 | KEYW Corporation | Development of Windows Systems Course |
| Zachary Bazan | '14 | Grove City College | Analyzing Fluid Diagnostics |
| Libby Carbone | '14 | Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth | Educating Gifted Youth |
| Laura Ellen Maher | '14 | Univeristy of Rochester | Quantum Communication System |
| Allen Scheie | '14 | SPS Mather Public Policy | Interning for the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology |
| Andy Lundeen | '15 | Grove City College | Astronomy |
| Jake Gearhart | '15 | Grove City College | Calculating Photometric Variability of Stars in Cluster M67 |
| Student | Class | Institution | Description |
| Melody Carlson | '12 | Center for Research in Electro-Optics and Lasers, UCF | Optics |
| Austin Irish | '12 | NASA | Corporate |
| Adam Moyer | '12 | Grove City College | Physics Education Research |
| Stepehn Rigos | '12 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Nanotechnology |
| Peter Foster | '13 | University of Rochester | Increasing Sensitivity of Photonic Crystal Biosensor |
| Matthew Geismann | '13 | Intersystems | Corporate Internship |
| Michael Royster | '13 | KEYW Corporation | Cross-Platform Updating Services |
| Trisha Ingraham | '13 | Hampton University | Medical Physics |
| Libby Carbone | '14 | Grove City College | Physics Education Research |
| Jimmy Gregory | '14 | Grove City College | Biophysics |
| Laura Ellen Maher | '14 | Rochester | Optics |
| Nate Ruppreht | '14 | Grove City College | Nanotechnology |
| Allen Scheie | '14 | Grove City College | Nanotechnology |
| Matthew Wespetal | '14 | Louisiana Tech Univeristy | Modeling KMgH3 to study hydrogen removal and storage |
| Student | Class | Institution | Description |
| Ashley Cetnar | '11 | Hampton University | Medical Physics |
| Sam Cohen | '11 | Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth | Science and Engineering Education |
| Jennifer Hansen | '11 | University of Rochester | Optics |
| Travis Miller | '11 | University of South Florida | Nanotechnology |
| Amy VanNewkirk | '11 | University of Rochester | Optics |
| Jason Wetstone | '11 | Grove City College | Physics Education Research |
| Matt Aldirch | '12 | John's Hopkins Applied Physics Lab | Missile Sensors |
| Adam Moyer | '12 | Grove City College | Physics Education Research |
| Nathaniel Simpson | '12 | Grove City College | Astronomy |
| Ian Manly | '13 | Grove City College | Astrophysics |
| Student | Class | Institution | Description |
| Adam Argondizzo | '10 | South Dakota School of Mines | Dye-sensitized Solar Cells |
| Brianna Dillon | '10 | University of California, Davis | Monte Carlo Simulations of He3 and He4 Phase Transitions |
| Ian Gilbert | '10 | University ofNotre Dame | Electronic and Magnetic Properties of Double Perovskie Cermaics |
| John Guglielmon | '10 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | Atmosphereic Physics |
| Becky Kraft | '10 | University of Alabama | Nonoengineered Hydroxapatite Particles for Use in Bone Tissue Regeneration |
| Shaun Mills | '10 | Purdue University | Semiconductor Research |
| Susanna Sireci | '10 | Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility | Medium Modification of the Phi Meson |
| David Smith | '10 | University of California Santa Cruz | Fabrication of Stabalized Camera for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle |
| Ashley Cetnar | '11 | North Carolina State University | Nuclear Physics |
| Sam Cohen | '11 | John's Hopkins Center for Talented Youth | Science and Engineering Education |
| Jennifer Hansen | '11 | University of Rochester | Laser Cooling of NaCs Molecules |
| Tim Rudd | '11 | Grove City College | Astronomy |
| Cara Taber | '11 | Atmospheric Science Department of Colorado State University | Geophysical Fluid Dynamics |
| Amy VanNewkirk | '11 | College of Optical Sciences at University of Arizona | Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Sol-gels |
| Melody Carlson | '12 | Grove City College | Astronomy |
| Student | Class | Institution | Description |
| Garret Hickman | '09 | Germn Academic Exchange Service's RISE Program | Photoelectron Transmission Through Organic Film |
| Ben Carlson | '10 | Grove City College | Fluorescence Spectrscopy Involving P450 3A4 |
| Brianna Dillon | '10 | Lehigh University | Fiber Optics Research |
| Ian Gilbert | '10 | University of Wyoming | Spectroscopic Study of Binary Stars |
| John Guglielmon | '10 | Grove City College | Modeling Protein-Ligand Complexes |
| Shaun Mills | '10 | Boston College | Carbon Nanotubes |
| David Smith | '10 | Grove City College | Modeling Protein-Ligand Complexes |
| Jennifer Hansen | '11 | Grove City College | Fluorescence Spectrscopy Involving P450 3A4 |
| Ashley Cetnar | '11 | Kansas State University | Nanoscale Interdisciplinary Research Team |
| Arden Rice | Mary Lou Muti | Rebecca E. Durfee | Patricia Kay Meyer | Omar N. Torrens | Thomas L. Hunt | Ephod Shang |
| Charles E. Taylor | John A. Salvcoff | Joseph V. Stehle | Jared M. Thomas | Trevor F. Melder | Brian C. Yates | Mark Ingram |
