Advanced Computational Research Experience for Students
Overview
ACRES is a 10-week summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) in computational and data science run jointly by the Department of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering (CMSE) and the Institute for Cyber-Enabled Research (ICER) at Michigan State University.
Program: Ten students will be selected to work with computational researchers on original, interdisciplinary, collaborative research projects.
Goals: Students participating in this REU will:
- Gain computational research skills
- Participate in cutting-edge computational and data science research
- Interact closely with top-notch CMSE faculty
- Work on state-of-the-art ICER supercomputers
Research: Computational biology, computational chemistry, computational mathematics, computational physics/astrophysics, and environmental data analytics.
Stipend: Each student will receive a total stipend of $7,000 (before tax), on-campus housing, and a meal plan. Financial support up to $600 is available for travel to the REU site and to conferences.
Framework: Each summer, the program begins with a week-long boot camp introducing students to ICER's high-performance computing center (HPCC) and scientific software development best practices. Over the following weeks, students will work in research groups, take part in meetings and discussions with project members, attend research seminars, and make weekly group presentations. At the end of the summer, students will give a talk and poster presentation about their research.
Activities: Opportunities for students to interact socially with each other and faculty include cookouts, game nights, and day trips to attractions such as museums and the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams. University recreational facilities will also be available for participant use (a nominal fee may apply).
Eligibility Requirements
Undergraduate students, from institutions other than Michigan State University (MSU), interested in pursuing computational or data science research are invited to apply. Student projects cover a range of scientific domains including but not limited to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields.
To be eligible to apply for this program, which is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), all applicants must:
- Be U.S. citizens or hold permanent residency status
- Be 18 years old or older by May 19th, 2025
- Have completed at least two semesters of calculus and programming by May 2025
- Have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale)
- Not be enrolled in classes during Summer 2025
- Be available to work full-time on the campus of MSU from May 19 - July 25, 2025
- Be an undergraduate at an institution other than MSU in Fall 2025 (i.e., not graduating before December 2025)
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