REU Programs for meteorology?

[Austin Jones]

I'm looking for undergraduate research opportunity's in meteorology. So far I have found and I am applying for the Real-World Research Experiences for Undergraduates at the National Weather Center, program. Anyone have experience with this or other REU programs?

 

[Caleb Grunzke]

There are a few REU opportunities for undergraduates in the US. A lot of them are posted here: (http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/list_result.jsp?unitid=10020) Just browse through each posting and see which ones you would like to do as they are not all related directly to meteorology.

The one you mentioned at the National Weather Center is the most sought after by undergrads. It's a great program. Being at the National Weather Center in Norman, OK is a reward in itself and working there for a summer would be an awesome time. I had a classmate who participated in this program two summers ago. She really enjoyed it and it has allowed her to attend various weather conferences. The one complaint I have about it, however, was that my classmate was doing a modeling study and when she was finished with her REU, she still didn't really know anything about modeling... I'm not sure if that was due to laziness on her part or something else but, otherwise, their projects were pretty cool.

The REU at Colorado State University is also highly recognized as a great opportunity for undergrads: http://www.cmmap.org/scienceEd/internships.html

A few scholarships do offer financial support for students to do summer research. The Hollings Scholarship, particularly, comes to mind: http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/scholarships/hollings.html#page=timeline

There are more REU opportunities than I have mentioned that can be found by doing a simple Google search. Also, ask your professors if they would know of any REUs.

 

[Jeff Duda]

Good for you! I recommend ANY student who wants to go above and beyond the typical 4-year meteorology/atmospheric science program at any institution participate in something like an REU progam or the Hollings program. I didn't do either of those, although I did some volunteerships and applied for other scholarships that allowed me to go to some conferences and meet some people. Being selected for an REU program or winning a scholarship is a valuable achievement and something that will make your resume shine above that of others. However, in my experience, it was the connections I made with other people while attending conferences and whatnot that has made a stronger impression on me and how the meteorology job market works. Network. Network. NETWORK!

REU is a great way to get on that. Good luck.