ADDitude Expert Webinars

This Year's Expert Webinar Series

Webinar Topic: Managing Adult ADD: You Can Do It Expert: Michele Novotni Where: Register Here When: 1/10 @ 1pm

Webinar Topic: Remember More, Forget Less: How to Improve Your Working Memory Expert: Dr. Ari Tuckman Where: Register Here When: 1/15 @ 1pm

Webinar Topic: Get It Done, Now! How to Stay on Time and on Task with ADHD Expert: Beth Main Where: Register Here When: 1/22 @ 1pm

Webinar Topic: Use Alternative Therapies to Manage ADHD Symptoms Expert: Sandy Newmark, M.D. Where: Register Here When: 1/28 @ 1pm

During the summer of 2013, the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network will host a Research Experience for Undergraduates (NNIN REU) Program from June through August for approximately 85 interns to work at the fourteen NNIN sites. We are looking for engineering and science students with broad interests across the disciplines related to nanotechnology (including Biology, Chemistry, Materials Science, Physics, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering, just to name a few. A few positions for social science majors may also be available).

This is the 17th year of this program. For reference, participants and reports from prior REU program years can be found here.

Minority and female candidates are especially encouraged to apply, along with students with no previous research experience and students from non-research universities.

The chosen undergraduates taking part in the ten-week NNIN REU program will receive hands-on nanoscience and technology experience through research with applications to bio-engineering, chemistry, electronics, materials science, optics, opto-electronics, physics, and the life sciences. The research projects are designed and supervised by the faculty and technical staff at the NNIN research facilities. Interns work with faculty and graduate students on projects using the unique resources offered at their award site.

Note: in our program you do not choose a project. You will be selected for a particular project that fits your profile, by the Professor in charge of that project. It is not possible for you to review and select a project. If selected, you will be offered a specific project at a specific site.

A scientific convocation, attended by all the network interns, is held in August -- this year at the Georgia Institute of Technology -- to allow each intern the opportunity to present their work to their peers in the form of a concise scientific presentation. Interns also must complete a written report, akin to a research paper, summarizing the findings of their research project. These reports are published as the NNIN REU Research Accomplishments; past research accomplishments can be accessed via the left menu.

Participants receive a $4,000 stipend, plus housing and all reasonable travel expenses to their research site and the convocation site. They may be responsible for their own meals.

Full participation in the site program for the entire period, the network convocation, and the submission of a final report, are mandatory.

Restrictions and Eligibility Requirements for NNIN REU Interns:

1. If you participated in a NNUN or NNIN Program in the past, you cannot participate again.
2. You must be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident.
3. You must be 18 years of age or older, have graduated from high school, and be completing at least your first year in college.
4. You must have health insurance coverage for the summer.
5. You must not be graduating (from a 4 yr. college) before the end of the program in August.
6. You must not already have a four-year degree of any kind.
7. You must have an overall GPA of 3.0 or better.

Your completed application includes the following materials, which must be submitted by the deadlines stated above. All these items are described more fully on the application website:

1. The online account and application information.
2. A Personal Essay.
3. A One-Page Resume.
4. One Letter of Recommendation.
5. List of Relevant Engineering and Scientific Coursework, including grades and number of credits received for each course (in lieu of official transcript).
6. Permanent Residents of the USA must submit a copy of their Green Card (both sides). If you are a citizen of another country and ARE NOT a Permanent Resident, you are not eligible for our program.

PLEASE NOTE: If and when you accept an NNIN REU internship offer, you will be required to submit an official transcript before your internship is secure.

Visit http://www.nnin.org/reu/reu-application-gateway to apply.

For international students planning onstudying in the United States, the I-20 formestimates basic mandatory expenses, such as tuition and fees, meal plans, health insurance (if required), and textbooks. But having funds to cover these expenses doesn't help with budgeting for personal expenses, such as clothing, school activities, and entertainment.

Current international students should follow these three tips to budget for and slash the costs of personal expenses—and prospective students should take note, too.

[See how international students can start saving for college.]

1. Reduce academic expenses to boost personal funds:Smart textbook shopping and saving leftover change from purchases add extra money for international students to distribute to other areas of their budgets. With textbooks, often the money used to estimate costs on your I-20 is based on purchasing new books, says Michelle Larson-Krieg, director of international student and scholar services at the University of Colorado—Denver.

However, professors are becoming more cognizant of textbook costs and will often wait to change to a newer edition to increase availability of used books for students, says Pat Kirby, international student coordinator for Missouri's Westminster College.

Students can save hundreds of dollars by a combination of renting textbooks, shopping on websites such as Half.com and Amazon.com, using electronic textbooks, and checking out available textbooks from public libraries, Iowa State UniversityInternational Recruiter Timothy Tesar says.

[Find out how to get cheap college textbooks.]

In addition, save the change in your pocket at the end of each day, says Dottie Durband, director of the Red to Black student money management office at Texas Tech University. Fifty cents stashed for personal expenses five times per week adds up to $40 in a 16-week semester.

2. Budget and shop wisely for clothing: To develop a clothing budget, a student must first consider the amount and type of clothing needed and then subtract already owned items. Durband recommends students shop for new items based on what they don't have from this list: casual clothing for classes; some business casual outfits if seeking a part-time job; and one nice suit or a couple of business professional separates that can be mixed for a university function, religious service, or even a party.

For campus-specific recommendations, Durband recommends E-mailing the student money management center because staff members "can answer questions about clothing needs related to details such as climate, region, prices, places to shop, and local events." To save money on clothing, she suggests "shopping for gently worn clothing or accessories at thrift stores, consignment stores, and local garage sales."

Renuka Raja Rao, India country coordinator for the United States-India Educational Foundation and a former graduate school student at Syracuse University, similarly suggests students shop at discount stores such as Target and Walmart. Off-season sales also provide savings.

[Learn more about cutting U.S. college costs.]

3. Plan social activities carefully: To find out about expenses for social activities on your campus, E-mailing "the student government president or country-specific international student organization is a great way to make a connection and to inquire about costs of living abroad," Durband says.

Students can get advice on strategies for reducing transportation, dining, and entertainment expenses. For instance, Nikita Sacheva, a student from India in her second year at University of Chicago, has managed to never take a cab. She plans most of her off-campus outings based on when the free shuttle her campus offers runs to downtown Chicago.

Other times, she takes public transportation for $2 each way. She also attends a lot of on-campus events within walking distance. "I've been to theatre shows, ballet shows, and dance classes on the weekend and they're a lot of fun," she says. "Some shows have a minimal fee, like a dollar or two." When she dines out with friends, they choose a restaurant they can all afford. Students can view menus online beforehand to check prices.

Budgeting can begin even earlier: Before leaving your home country Rao suggests visiting your local EducationUSA advising center. They keep track of everything from the cost of hamburgers to movie prices near U.S. universities, she says. Pre-departure orientations are also offered to prepare students—and their budgets—for studying and living in the Unites States.

Reyna Gobel, frequently quoted as an expert on student loans and college costs, is the author of "Graduation Debt: How To Manage Student Loans And Live Your Life" and "How Smart Students Pay for School: The Best Way to Save for College, Get the Right Loans, and Repay Debt." She has appeared on PBS's Nightly Business Report and speaks regularly at CollegeWeekLive.