Research Experience for Undergraduates in Computer and Data Science
Texas A&M University is now accepting applications for a 10-week summer undergraduate research program in the general area of computer and data science, generously funded by a gift from Google, LLC.
Background
Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) participants will be assigned to a Texas A&M faculty mentor and will work closely with a Texas A&M graduate student or postdoctoral researcher to perform cutting-edge research in computer systems or data science.
In the summer of 2023, we will be partnering with REUs at Rice University and Prairie View A&M University. The summer will start with a joint kick-off program and end with a shared research symposium. During the summer, there will be workshops on conducting research, reading papers, preparing scientific posters, as well as research, career and technical talks.
What Is Data Science?
Data science is an interdisciplinary field of study, encompassing sub-areas of computer science, statistics, electrical engineering and applied mathematics. It is the science of extracting actionable knowledge from large and complex data repositories, where “complex” may refer to the modality of the data (images, time series, text, as well as traditional tabular data) or other facets of the data in question (data can be complex because they are geographically distributed or characterized by the ubiquity of missing or inaccurate values). Data science has quickly become a critical enabling capability in many different fields: science, healthcare, energy, manufacturing, finance and many others. Data can be used to train algorithms that can augment doctors’ capability in recognizing early-state tumors. It can also be used to predict when it is time to do preventative maintenance on a multi-million-dollar machine, before a catastrophic failure. Data can be used to detect fraudulent activity in credit card transactions. Furthermore, it is becoming a core enabler for detecting and preventing cyberattacks.
Research in data science could include designing and implementing new machine-learning algorithms, applying machine-learning algorithms to solve specific problems or developing methods to manage huge data sets.
What Are Systems Projects?
Systems projects could include designing and implementing new networking algorithms, new computer architectures or software systems.
Eligibility
- Majors in computer science, data science, statistics, applied mathematics, electrical engineering or applied/pure mathematics.
- Some knowledge of computer programming in a language such as Python or Java is required. Python is strongly preferred.
- International students must be enrolled at a university in the United States.
- Students must be at least 18 years old by the time the program starts.
- Students must have the ability to come to the Texas A&M campus in College Station, Texas.
- Applicants must be available during full-time business hours and possibly occasional weekends if required by the mentor.
- Students must plan on being at Texas A&M for the entire duration of the program.
- Participants from outside of College Station, Texas, will be given $500 to offset the cost of relocating to College Station. Participants will be housed on campus.
Why Come to Texas A&M?
Located in the heart of the Houston-Dallas-Austin triangle, Texas A&M's main campus in College Station is home to more than 69,000 students. An education from Texas A&M remains very valuable and very affordable, year after year. A degree from Texas A&M is a great investment – one that continues to appreciate over time. We're consistently recognized as a top value in higher education, based on our combination of academic quality and affordability. Our more than 3,500 faculty members include winners of the Nobel Prize, Wolf Prize and National Medal of Science – and every one of them is dedicated to preparing the next generation of leaders and making life-changing discoveries.
Texas A&M is proud to be a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), as designated by the U.S. Department of Education. This milestone means at least 25 percent of our undergraduate enrollment identifies as Hispanic. Federal HSI designation provides schools access to additional funding to improve enrollment and graduation rates among Hispanic students.
Compensation
- $6,500 stipend
- Complimentary on-campus accommodations
- $500 travel expenses (if traveling from outside of College Station, Texas)
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: March 31, 2023 (priority deadline: March 15, 2023)
- Start Date: May 22, 2023
- End Date: July 28, 2023
How to Apply
To apply for this REU, you must submit the following application requirements via the qualtrics form:
- Resume or curriculum.
- Short personal statement (less than one page) that describes your motivation for participating in this REU.
- Unofficial academic transcripts.
- Request two letters of recommendation. Please reach out to your recommenders and ask them to submit their recommendations through the qualtrics form.
Questions?
For other questions, please contact Dr. Theodora Chaspari.