REU -Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates Program in Astrobiology and Planetary Science

• Applications are now closed. Students will be notified of their status in March.
• Program Dates:  Sunday June 9th 2013 - Saturday August 17 2013 

General Information about the SETI Institute Astrobiology REU Program

What is it?
Students will work with scientists at the SETI Institute and at the nearby NASA Ames Research Center on projects spanning the field of astrobiology from microbiology to planetary geology to observational astronomy.

Who should apply
Current Sophomore and Junior Undergraduate Students who are United States Citizens or Permanent Residents

When
Application due date is on February 1st, 2013, at 11:59pm (PST); successful students will be notified in early March.
Program runs: June 9th to August 17th 2013

Financial support
$4500 ($450/week) - In addition, participants will be provided with dorm housing and a $50/week food allowance. Travel reimbursement is up to $600 for travel from home or campus to the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Program
The SETI Institute (www.seti.org), a non-profit private scientific research institution located in California’s Silicon Valley, invites you to apply for a summer Research Experience for Undergraduates program for highly motivated students interested in astrobiology research. You will work with scientists at the SETI Institute and at the nearby NASA Ames Research Center on projects spanning the field of astrobiology from microbiology to observational astronomy.

The program includes a week-long field trip to the SETI Institute’s Allen Telescope Array, located at the Hat Creek Radio Astronomy Observatory in Northern California, as well as a field experience at hydrothermal systems at nearby Lassen Volcanic National Park. Students will also participate in local field trips to places like the California Academy of Sciences and other nearby locations of scientific interest, and attend seminars, lectures, and discussions on astrobiology. You will live in dormitory housing near the campus of the NASA Ames Research Center and observatory facilities at Hat Creek. At the end of the summer you will give presentations on your research projects, and the best projects will be selected for submission to a national scientific conference, which the selected students will be funded to attend.

Three main research areas will be emphasized, with projects including:

• Biochemistry and the Origin and Evolution of Life on Earth
  • Detection of biosignatures
  • Survival of microbes under extreme conditions
• Planetary Science and the Search for Life in the Solar System
  • Asteroid dynamics 
  • Mars geomorphology and spectroscopy
• Astronomy and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI)
  • Meteor showers and their parent comets
  • SETI and radio astronomy

For more information contact:
Dr. Cynthia Phillips
phillips@seti.org
650-810-0230