The University of Wisconsin-Madison NAC & REU Program Eric Hooper, Director Snezana Stanimirovic, Principal Investigator Robert Benjamin, Program Manager

Overview of the REU Primarily NSF funded; attracts other funding. UW-Madison graduate school support for underrepresented minority students. Other universities & entities (e.g., Sloan foundation). ~ 10 students for 10 weeks each summer. Each has own research project w/mentor (team). Observational & theoretical astronomy. Instrumentation & laboratory astrophysics. Astroparticle physics w/IceCube, HAWC, etc. Common work room + labs in some cases. Live in apartment complex w/other campus REUs. Professional development.

Recruitment NAC! Personal connections + meetings like NSBP/NSHP, SACNAS. Goal is to recruit high-potential students, with particular emphasis on those underrepresented in the field & from smaller institutions.

Selection of Participants Common application across UW-Madison REUs. Personal statement. Two recommendation letters. Transcript. We read ~150 - 200 completed applications  “short” list of ~40. This list  prospective mentors. Mentors give us a ranked list & we make offers. Mentors give different weights to the components. Advice: Personalize your statement; show interest. Indicate your degree of focus / flexibility.

NAC (REU++): Our Goals Increase the reach of opportunities for undergraduate students in astrophysics who have access to a wide range of research opportunities & then go on to graduate school or other successful career paths. Develop a consistent recruiting approach to augment current efforts. Consistently have an effective cohort. Extend the mentoring connections. Access professional development opportunities of NAC.

NAC: Cohort I. Brian Brooks (2013; joined first NAC cohort as an alumnus). Working at Space Telescope Science Institute. Sinclaire Manning (2014). Graduate student at University of Texas at Austin. Andria Palmer (2014). Just graduated from University of West Florida. Miona Short (2014). Local UW- Madison student. Currently in senior year.

NAC: Cohort II. Peter Doze (2015). Texas Southern University. Currently starting graduate school at Rutgers. Ryan Hubbard (2015). Currently undergraduate at Howard University.

NAC: Cohort III. Natalie Delworth (2016). Brown University. Travis Stadler (2016). North Carolina A&T University. Image courtesy Travis Stadler

NAC: Future Continue recruiting. Goal is to have a cohort (> 1!) every summer. Continue mentoring relationships. Call on our alumni to meet current NAC students at AAS meetings. Expand national recognition of and reach by the NAC.

UW-Madison REU Contacts Web: www.astro.wisc.edu/undergrads/uw-madison- reu-program General: reu@astro.wisc.edu Director (Eric Hooper): ehooper@astro.wisc.edu Research mentor training: www.researchmentortraining.org We will be launching the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) in January.

Thank You To NAC Central & NRAO. Other NAC sites and supporters. To Howard University (especially Marcus Alfred). To the NSF. To our students!

Some Demographics