NAU Astronomy REU Program Grant

NAU Astronomy REU Program Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Northern Arizona University
Last Updated: December 18, 2025

Summary

The NAU Astronomy REU Program offers undergraduate students a paid opportunity to engage in research at Northern Arizona University during the summer months. Participants receive a $7000 stipend, potential travel reimbursement, and housing accommodations. The program includes seminars and hands-on experience with local telescopes, fostering skills in astronomy and planetary science. Applications are competitive and targeted at students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and currently enrolled in a degree program.

Overview

About Our Program Northern Arizona University (NAU) in Flagstaff, Arizona, has been a Research Experiences for Undergraduates site sponsored by the National Science Foundation since 1991. Undergraduates (typically, upper level) are paid a stipend to work on a research project during the summer months. Our REU pays well and is a great opportunity to, get an idea of what doing research is like, gain knowledge, enhance your skill-sets, research outside of your home institution, meet other like-minded students who are interested in astronomy, planetary science and explore Flagstaff and Arizona. Applications are highly competitive. The research projects available vary from year to year, and have included planetary science, astrogeology, stellar astrophysics, instrumentation work, and extragalactic research. Our program is in person and runs from early June through early August. Accommodations can usually be made for students on the quarter system who cannot start that early. Students will be enrolled at Northern Arizona University and receive one hour of credit; tuition and fees will be covered by the program. The total stipend is $7000, and each student will be eligible to receive up to $1000 in travel expense reimbursement. Housing is included with the program, and room choices are based on availability at the NAU dorms (i.e. single or shared rooms). Although most of the students’ time will be spent on research, participants are required to attend a seminar series that will meet twice weekly. Some of the seminars will be on observational techniques, but the majority will be talks by Flagstaff astronomers and visitors on their research. We will also visit some of the local scientific facilities. Each student will have an opportunity to observe on local telescopes. Funds are also available for each student to present the results at a scientific meeting during the following year.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. In order to be eligible, students must be:citizens or permanent residents of the United States or its possessions ANDbe enrolled in an undergraduate degree program.

Ineligibility

Students graduating prior to the start of the summer program are not eligible.