REU in Astronomy & Physics
From the Largest to the Smallest Scales in the Universe
June 5, 2023 – August 11, 2023
◦ Work directly with a faculty member and group.
◦ Gain valuable research and presentation skills.
◦ Field trip to an observatory or national lab
◦ $6000 stipend plus food allowance for 10 weeks
◦ Travel support to GSU and a national conference
◦ Housing on site at GSU in Atlanta, GA
◦ Social activities in and around Atlanta
REU - Summer 2023
Welcome to the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at Georgia State University (GSU), funded by the National Science Foundation. We are very excited to start the Summer 2023 session. All undergraduates are welcome to apply, except for those already at GSU1. We particularly encourage students that have limited research opportunities at their home institutions to apply to our program. REU students will be paid a total of $6000 for their work over the 10-week period ( at ~40 hours per week). The REU program provides for housing on site at GSU, a food allowance, and round-trip travel to GSU, the field location, and a future conference.
REU students at GSU work directly with faculty members and their groups. Each student will have a well-defined project with results to be presented in an end-of-summer symposium, a future national conference, and potentially a scientific publication. On the way, students will have gained valuable research, collaboration, and presentation skills. Each student will participate in a 5-day field trip to a GSU-affiliated research facility: Apache Point Observatory in NM, GSU’s CHARA Array at Mount Wilson in CA, or Brookhaven National Laboratory in NY. A wide range of research fields are available, including active galactic nuclei, galaxies, stellar astrophysics, interferometry, exoplanets, computational astrophysics, solar physics, nuclear physics, cosmic rays, biophysics, neurophysics and condensed matter physics.
REU students will participate in a weekly seminar focused on professional practices and ethics, reading scientific papers, scientific talks, science writing, and practice for the summer symposium. Weekly lunch meetings will feature brief faculty talks and discussions of student research projects and their connectivity. Social activities will take advantage of the many cultural and recreational opportunities in Atlanta, including the Georgia Aquarium, the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park, and professional sports including the Atlanta Braves and Atlanta United FC.
For more information, questions about this REU program can be addressed to Dr. Mike Crenshaw at [email protected].
1. GSU undergraduates can apply to our internal summer research program . Students at other local universities can apply to either program or both.


REU Calendar At a Glance
Apply on our NSF ETAP website
Applicants to this REU program must go through the NSF ETAP system. You must first register an account here. Once registered, you can apply to our program. The deadline to apply is February 15, 2023.
Visit us at the AAS Meeting in Seattle
If you are attending the American Astronomical Society Meeting in Seattle, stop by our table in the Grad Student and REU Fair on January 8, 2023, from 5:30 to 7:00 pm. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Get an offer and accept
If we are convinced by your application/profile, we will send you an offer to join us sometimes in early March. Once you accept, you’re in!
Come to GSU
GSU is a large urban research university and a minority-serving institution in the vibrant city of Atlanta. Our department has a large number of undergraduate physics majors and offers separate Ph.D. programs in Physics and Astronomy.
Pick your research interests
You will work together with other REU students in shared spaces and provide input to the theme “From the Largest to Smallest Scales in the Universe”.
Our list of mentors for Summer 2023 is now available here.
Learn
Students will receive training in professional practices and ethics, reading scientific papers, scientific talks, science writing, and practice for the summer symposium.
Enjoy our Fun Activities
Atlanta offers a wide variety of cultural, educational, and recreational activities in its metropolitan area. A number of informal and formal social activities are planned, including possible group trips to the Georgia Aquarium, the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park, and major league sports events.
End-of-Summer Symposium
You and all the other REU students will present your results in a final send-off: the end-of-summer symposium.