Applications for summer 2019 are no longer being accepted. This year's Program Flyer is here.
Application process updates
Hit "refresh" to see if there are any updates on our selection process. Each update is tagged with the date and listed below.
2/18/19, 5pm CT: The application period has closed. As each application is processed we will email applicants a link to a shared folder to upload their resume and transcript. Each reference will also be contacted individually. We will have a week to finish collecting all application materials, so no worries. Have your transcript and resume handy and watch for an email upload invitation. And let your references know that they will have until next Monday, Feb 25, to submit their letters.
2/14/19: All those who applied by noon Central Time today have been processed, meaning an email has been sent to each applicant with a link for uploading their transcript and (optional) resume, and emails were sent to references to request their letters. I will attempt to do this daily now that we are so close to the application deadline. Remember, students must have their application form submitted by 5pm Central Time on Monday, February 18. They are then given a few days to upload their transcripts and (optional) resume. References are given until February 25 to submit their letters. All materials must be received for an application to be considered.
2/12/19: I went through applications and email again this morning, and we now have 17 project proposals! If I delete your folder before you are finished uploading items, please let me know using the email contact at the bottom of this page.
2/11/19: This morning I went through applications and email. If you completed an application as of this morning, you should have received a folder invite from me to upload your transcript and (optional) resume. References were also contacted today for applications received thus far. Also, we are now up to 16 project proposals for this summer!
2/5/19: Once or twice a week we catch up on applications received thus far. We send requests to references and create shared folders for applicants to upload their transcripts and (optional) resume. If you applied between 2/1/19 and 2/4/19, you and your references should have heard from us this morning. We previously did this on 1/23, 1/30, and 2/1. If you have any concerns, please send email to nwcreu@gmail.com. Please understand that we check that email every few days. If you have a more urgent question please use the contact information at the bottom of this page.
Are you — or is someone you know — interested in applying?
Eligibility: Applicants must be pursuing an undergraduate degree, graduating no sooner than December 2019*, and be U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents of the U.S.
*Students who are graduating from a 2-year degree program are eligible so long as they are continuing for a 4-year degree in the fall
Program details:
The 2019 program will run from May 20 - July 30 (travel days are Sunday, May 19, and Wednesday, July 31.
- You receive a stipend: $5,000. These funds are distributed at the end of May, June, July, in proporation to how many weeks of the program occurred in that month. These funds are considered a scholarship / fellowship and could be taxable, depending on your overall tax situation.
- You also receive some subsistence: $500. This helps with food costs in first month.
- Travel to/from Norman: up to $600.
- National Conference Travel:up to $1,500.
- We provide housing: in modern, furnished campus apartments, usually Traditions Square. In that complex you have a private, locking bedroom in 4bed/2bath apartments.
We are gathering the project descriptions: Project Proposals for 2019. We will update that page as we receive the rest of the project proposals.
The 2019 application is now online!
It has 4 parts, one of which is optional.
- the application (link below, but read all this before clicking on it!)
- two references, preferably from your advisor and professors in your major (or related) classes, who know you well
- your college/university transcripts
- (optional) a current resume
Applications are due by 5pm CT, February 18, 2019
Items to prepare ahead of time:
- your essays
- calcluate your in-major GPA
- identify your references, ask them if they are willing to write for you, and have their name, title, and work email address handy
- Give them the following link so they can prepare their letters: http://www.caps.ou.edu/reu/application-references.html
- (optional) prepare/update your resume
We strongly recommend that you prepare to write the essay questions by:
- taking a look at our new video (above),
- looking over past year's projects to get an idea of the range of research projects and how much you'd learn over the summer (e.g., go to each past year and click on either "Students & Mentors" or "Projects": 2018, 2017, 2016, etc.)
- and click around through the web sites of our partner organizations, or, now that they're posted, the 2019 Project Descriptions to help you figure out what interests you the most.
- 1. What have you done to explore weather or climate outside the requirements of your major? [aim for about 150 words]
- These activities or actions could be from before you started college, or extra things you're doing while in college.This essay allows non-meteorology majors to show their interest in meteorology- or climate- or radar engineering-related fields, and allows meteorology/atmospheric science majors reveal ways in which their major is personally meaningful to them.
- 2. Why would conducting research at the National Weather Center and its partner organizations benefit your career/educational growth? [aim for about 150 words]
- We already know why undergraduate research experiences are beneficial to undergraduate students in general, so what this needs to be is a personal statement explaining how you think this experience would impact your career/educational growth. How would you grow from where you are now (e.g., current skills)? And why do you want to do a research internship, and why here? That's a lot of ground to cover in 150 words, so have others help you edit your essay until it does a good job of of expressing your thinking.
When you have all the above prepared and ready to go, and have at least 20-30 minutes to work on this (even with your answers prepared it will take some time to enter all your information), ---the application period for 2019 has closed ---
Reference letters will be requested directly from references, and transcripts will be directly requested from applicants, within 7 days of receiving a complete application.
Things to keep in mind:
- NSF requests that REU sites select at least half of their participants from schools where research opportunities are limited, and that includes 2-year colleges.
- University, college, and community college students interested in a weather-related career by pursuing a bachelors degree in science, math, computer science, or, in our case social science, are encouraged to apply.
- Aspiring science teachers are also encouraged to apply.
- Applications from women and minorities are particularly encouraged.
Also of note: NSF funds many REUs, and you can apply to more than one. To find other programs, select one of the disciplinary areas (we're listed under Atmospheric Science) or search with keywords here: https://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/reu_search.jsp
Here are a couple of programs that you would probably be interested in if you're interested in ours, as they overlap topic-wise:
- The University of Alabama - Huntsville, due by Feb 15: https://www.uah.edu/essc/internships/reu
- William & Hobart Smith / Plymouth State University REU, due Feb 15: https://www.hws.edu/academics/nepars-reu/
- Texas A&M University, due Feb 15: https://atmo.tamu.edu/academics/reu/index.html
- REU at Monterey Bay / California State University, due Feb 11: https://csumb.edu/reu
- While nominally in ocean sciences, this REU has a few mentors at the Naval Postgraduate School, like Dr. Wendell Nuss, Dr. Tom Murphree and Dr. Haflidi Jonsson, who mentor students interested in atmospheric sciences. See: https://csumb.edu/reu/mentors-and-projects for more information on their research areas.
You can find all the Atmospheric and Geospace Science REUs listed here.
Please check the FAQ before writing or calling!
Program Contact: Dr. Daphne LaDue, dzaras@ou.edu or 405-325-1898.All institutions of the National Weather Center and partner organizations are equal opportunity employers.