[JOB OPP] [oneill@cs.hmc.edu: Invitation for Swarthmore College students to

Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2009 10:05:02 -0500
From: Tia Newhall 
To: job-opps@cs.swarthmore.edu
Subject: [JOB OPP] [oneill@cs.hmc.edu: Invitation for Swarthmore College students to
	apply to HMC CS REU Program]
Message-ID: <20090220150502.GC10525@cs.swarthmore.edu>
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Reply-To: Tia Newhall 

----- Forwarded message from Melissa O'Neill  -----

Subject: Invitation for Swarthmore College students to apply to HMC CS REU
	Program

Dear Professor Newhall,

I am writing to ask if you would please encourage undergraduates from  
Swarthmore to apply to the Harvey Mudd College Computer Science Summer REU 
program.  I realize that there may be many summer opportunities closer to 
home at Swarthmore, but there are a variety of reasons why some of your 
students might want to look further afield too, especially given the unique 
structure, rewards and opportunities present in the NSF's "Research 
Experience for Undergraduates" programs.

In past years, Swarthmore College has been among the schools we've seen 
strong applications from, and I'd love to see that continue this year.

The website for our program is at http://www.cs.hmc.edu/reu/.   On the  
basis that you might like a longer description of our program that you can 
forward to your students, I have enclosed one below.

Thank you and best regards,

    Melissa O'Neill
    CS REU co-Director

P.S.  There are a variety of other computer-science REUs besides ours, all 
listed at http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/list_result.cfm?unitid=5049 . The 
deadlines for many REUs are looming  -- HMC's application deadline is about 
one week away!

Enc.


Invitation to Apply to the HMC Summer REU Program
-------------------------------------------------

In this ten-week summer research program (which begins on June 8, 2009, and 
runs until August 14, 2009), we recruit ten undergraduate students 
(typically juniors) to work on three research projects.

Part of our goal in this program is to recreate key elements of the  
graduate-school experience in a ten-week summer program.  Whether you are 
merely curious about better understanding what research in graduate school 
would be like, or planning to apply to graduate school but want concrete 
research experience to improve your attractiveness to top schools, our 
program is likely to be attractive to you.

One of Harvey Mudd College's claims to fame is that we treat our  
undergraduates like graduate students -- *undergraduates* are the primary 
research collaborators for many of our faculty.  That aspect of Mudd has 
never been more true than in this program.  In the REU, *you* will be a 
major part of advancing the state of the art in a given field -- you won't 
be on the sidelines filling in an inconsequential piece of the puzzle, 
instead your work will be front and center, much as it would be in graduate 
school.  A hallmark of our REU program is that student researchers and 
faculty mentors work very closely together and typically meet every day, 
with the ultimate goal of making a significant contribution to their field.

Our summer REU site has projects that fall under a broad "computer  
systems" umbrella, with specific projects in

- Garbage Collection  (great for students who enjoyed programming- 
languages or operating-systems classes);
- Robot Vision (great for students who enjoyed AI and systems classes);
- Intelligent Music Software (great for students who enjoyed AI, software 
development, and are interested in how computers can help enhance musical 
creativity); and,
  - Algorithmic Aspects of Computational Biology.

Feedback from the previous four years of our program indicate that  
students feel that our program is intellectually demanding but also  
satisfying and enormously fun.

Students should submit their electronic application before March 1, 2009. 
All other application materials (including the letters of recommendation, 
and official transcripts) must be received by March 6, 2009.

For more details (e.g., project details, stipends, on-site accommodation, 
etc.) and to apply, please visit our REU website at

   http://www.cs.hmc.edu/reu/

The USA is a diverse country, and we eagerly desire applicants that  
reflect that diversity -- in particular, underrepresented groups such as 
women, racial minorities, and members of economically disadvantaged groups 
are strongly encouraged to apply.  Often members of these groups are more 
uncertain than most about whether they should continue on to graduate 
school -- our program is a great opportunity to help you better understand 
your options, and it's also a great way to spend your summer.

(If none of our topics match up with your interests (or even if they do), 
you should also remember that there are a number of other NSF-funded REU 
programs.  Googling can help you find the NSF computer-science REU projects 
page and various other summer research opportunities.)

----- End forwarded message -----

-- 
Tia Newhall                     Computer Science Department 
Associate Professor, Chair      Swarthmore College
newhall@cs.swarthmore.edu       500 College Ave.
www.cs.swarthmore.edu           Swarthmore, PA 19081
610-690-5637 (voice)            610-328-8606 (fax)

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