Hobart and William Smith Colleges

This REU site leverages the assets of two institutions with strength in undergraduate education and research to expand research opportunities for a diverse population of undergraduates early in their education. REU participants will spend five weeks at the campus of Hobart & William Smith Colleges in the heart of New York’s Finger Lakes Region where they will work with a team of mentors to devise research projects centered around sources, sinks, transport, and environmental impacts of microplastics. Student research teams will build on several years of research in the area and decades of experience among the faculty mentors. After collecting samples and conducting preliminary laboratory analyses, students will travel to the campus of the City College of New York where they complete more complex analyses using a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer, FTIR microscope, and ion chromatograms. At the conclusion of the 9-week program, participants will communicate their results to their peer community and prepare presentations for professional conferences later in the year.

In our REU program, we are committed to the success of each participant and mentor, and are dedicated to building a welcoming, inclusive environment that allows each person to bring their full self to their work, explore new ideas and take risks.

We are committed to:

• Be a diverse community of people with ideas and approaches that make a difference locally, national and globally.
• Develop solutions, processes, and knowledge for all people. We embrace the vision that diversity in our program generates better learning outcomes, better citizens, and better scientists.

The REU Provides:

• Furnished housing within walking distance of the HWS campus and a short subway ride from the CCNY campus,
• Funds for travel to and from the REU site at the beginning and end of the summer,
• Funds to attend a professional conference to present your work,
• And a salary of $700 per week for the 9-week summer research program.

Each year, a cohort of 12 undergraduate students will be offered paid summer research internships through the Environmental Microplastics REU to work with faculty mentors at Hobart & William Smith Colleges (HWS) and City College of New York (CCNY). Students will spend the first five weeks at HWS developing projects in collaboration with mentors at both campuses, collect samples, and conduct preliminary analyses. At the end of Week 5, students will travel to CCNY in New York City to complete laboratory analyses, interpret data, and prepare research posters for presentation at the program’s final gathering.

In addition to the team-based research projects, REU participants will engage in several professional development workshops in which they will develop leadership skills, complete a curriculum vitae and resume, learn and practice networking skills, and discuss graduate school. Participants will also participate in workshops designed to develop a diverse inclusive workplace. REU participants will also explore and practice a variety of modes of professional communication including developing a research proposal, writing abstracts and reports, and communicating visually through scientific posters. REU participants will also have the option to participate in workshops on communicating with geospatial tools and data analysis and visualization in R.

The REU plans continued engagement with participants as they present their research at professional conferences following the summer REU program, explore publication of results, and work to complete their undergraduate education and explore graduate school and employment options.

The Environmental Microplastic REU site’s primary focus is on providing first-time research opportunities for rising sophomores and rising juniors who have completed their first and second year, respectively at two-year or four-year colleges and universities across the U.S. offering degrees in STEM fields.