REU Program

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We will not be hosting a summer program in 2014.

The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program supports active research participation by undergraduate students in any of the areas of research funded by the National Science Foundation. REU projects involve students in meaningful ways in ongoing research programs or in research projects specifically designed for the REU program.

The REU program at UC Irvine's Department of Earth System Science focuses on Biogeochemistry and Climate Change: Improving our knowledge of the Earth system. The program includes hands-on research training, scientific lectures, scientific discussions, and informal discussions about science ethics, scientific communication, graduate programs, and career paths in Earth System Science.

REU students receive college credit while participating in research during the summer in Southern California!

Previous REU projects covered a range of disciplines, including:

  • Atmospheric Chemistry
  • Marine and Terrestrial Biogeochemistry
  • Climate Change
  • Atmospheric and Oceanic Circulation
  • Sea Ice and Ice-Sheet Dynamics
  • Paleoclimatology

2013 REU Students

"The REU program at UCI was incredible! The skill sets that I built as well as the knowledge that I gained from my research, other students' research and the lectures... [were] valuable… My faculty sponsor was helpful, supportive, creative, and friendly… I think that the knowledge I gained will continue to be important in my education and career goals. THANK YOU very much for such a great opportunity!" -- ESS REU Student

Accomplishments for Former REU Students

  • Sequenced the DNA of microbial cultures
  • Modeled groundwater scarcity
  • Analyzed the age of marine mollusk shells
  • Collected samples off Newport Beach Pier and measured phytoplankton levels
  • Worked on models for river nutrient flow into the ocean
  • Analyzed gases stored in ice cores
  • Operated complex lab equipment
  • Analyzed IPCC data
  • Camped out on glaciers in Greenland

REU Student Honors & Awards

Melinda Nicewonger (REU 2012 student) and Allison Moreno (REU 2011 student) have been awarded National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowships.

Isis Frausto-Vicencio was chosen to present an abstract at the 2014 Emerging Researchers National (ERN) Conference in STEM.

In 2013 REU student, Isis Frausto-Vicencio recieved a NASA MUREP Scholarship for two academic terms!

In 2013 REU student, Valerie Carranza recieved a 16-week NASA internship at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory!

Former REU student Kate Voss is a lead author of a study finding alarming water loss in the Middle East that has been published in Water Resources Research, a journal of the American Geophysical Union, with ESS Professor Jay Famiglietti.

Former REU student Ayush Jangam (REU 2012) is an author of a 2014 study on forecasting ozone pollution episodes. The paper has been published in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, a journal of the European Geosciences Union, with ESS Professor Michael Prather.