NHERI REU Summer Program
NHERI Research Experience for Undergraduates Summer Program
2024 NHERI REU cohort in front of Large High Performance Shake Table 6 at the University of California, San Diego, during the NHERI REU Research Symposium.
Updates
The NSF NHERI REU Summer Program application has closed for 2025.
Program Information
Hands-on summer research for undergraduates. The NHERI REU Summer Program provides research opportunities at the ten NHERI multi-hazard engineering and interdisciplinary research sites during a 10-week summer research program. The NHERI REU program is dedicated to helping undergraduate college students experience multi-hazard engineering as well as reconnaissance, cyberinfrastructure, data management, simulation, and social science research. Hands-on, research-based projects introduce participants to a network of researchers, and students who work toward mitigating natural hazards and understanding the impact of natural hazards on society.
U.S. citizens and permanent residents who are enrolled undergraduate students may apply for the summer program.
REU participants receive:
- Travel funds to and from the research facility.
- Housing subsidy to help with living expenses.
- Research stipend ($6000) for summer work.
- Research and career experience alongside faculty mentors.
- Travel funds to and from the NHERI REU site to present a research project and a chance to network with engineering researchers, social scientists, and natural hazards experts.
The program includes ten universities with different academic schedules (see links below). For this reason, two 10-week program blocks are used. The 2025 NHERI REU Summer Program Block I is from June 2 — August 8, 2025, and includes Florida International University, Lehigh University, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Florida, and the University of Texas, Austin. Block II will take place June 16 — August 22, 2025, and includes Oregon State University, the University of California, Davis, the University of California, San Diego, and the University of Washington.
The 2025 NHERI REU Summer Program is a hybrid program hosted by the NHERI site and NHERI ECO. A typical forty-hour week in the program includes graduate school and professional development workshops, research group meetings, networking, mentor evaluations, timesheets, reflections, research, and research writing.
Each of the Experimental Facilities within NHERI plus the RAPID Reconnaissance Center, the Simulation Center, and Cyberinfrastructure teams will participate in the 2025 NHERI REU program. Click the links below to learn more about each site.
- The Wall of Wind at Florida International University(opens a new window)
- Real-time Multi-Directional Natural Hazards Simulation Facility (RTMD) at Lehigh University(opens a new window)
- The O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory at Oregon State University(opens a new window)
- The NHERI SimCenter at University of California, Berkeley(opens a new window)
- The Center for Geotechnical Modeling (CGM) at University of California, Davis(opens a new window)
- The Large High Performance Outdoor Shake Table (LHPOST) at University of California, San Diego(opens a new window)
- The Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel Experimental Facility at the University of Florida(opens a new window)
- The Large-Scale Mobile Shakers at University of Texas at Austin(opens a new window)
- The NHERI Cyberinfrastructure and Data Management team at University of Texas at Austin in collaboration with TACC(opens a new window)
- The Rapid Response Research Facility (RAPID) at University of Washington(opens a new window)
Eligibility
The application is open to students who are U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents who are currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree program. Because the projects vary in scope, we are looking for a variety of majors including civil engineering, computer science, and architecture, to name a few. If you are interested in solving engineering problems dealing with natural hazards or understanding natural hazards' impact on society, this undergraduate research program is for you!
Application
The 2025 NHERI REU Summer Program application is now closed. Applicants were required to provide the following:
- Background information including the college(s) you attended, your GPA, and credits earned.
- Two letters of recommendation, with at least one from a professor.
- Research site ranking in order of preference.
- Brief essay questions about your goals and experiences as an undergraduate student.
- Optional documents — unofficial transcripts, resume, and other scholarly undergraduate work.
Explore
Click the boxes below to check out the posters, presentations, and papers created by REU Alumni.
Contact Us
The Education and Community Outreach (ECO) and the ECO Committee develop and host the NHERI REU Program. If you have questions about the NHERI REU Summer Program or the application process, please email us at reu-request@designsafe-ci.org. We want to hear from you!