For over three decades, the Research Experiences for Undergraduates program has provided students with hands-on research experience, helping them attain spots in competitive graduate programs and overall enhance their STEM careers.
However, this year, there has been a surge in REU cancellations, many of which have been caused by funding issues from the National Science Foundation, among other reasons.
Jackson Headon, a junior studying astrophysics and physics, is one of the students affected by these cancellations. He applied to several REU programs, including those at Cornell University, Michigan State University and Columbia University.
However, on Feb. 17, he received an email from Cornell's Astronomy REU program explaining that it had been canceled.
"At first, I was honestly in shock, especially with the Cornell one, because if the Ivy Leagues are not safe, it was not a good sign for the other ones that I applied for as well," Headon said.
Zoe Learner Ponterio, the co-coordinator for the Cornell Department of Astronomy, explained that many programs were canceled because of federal funding delays, but this wasn't the case for Cornell. Learner Ponterio explained that the cancellation was because of staffing issues during a leadership transition and housing conflicts with other programs.
"If it had been only that, we maybe would have come up with some way around it. But that, together with not feeling like we could fully staff the program, led to us deciding this," Learner Ponterio said. "But that is why we fully intend to offer this next summer because we do have a whole other year of funding, and we can apply for what's called a no-cost extension."
Headon was looking forward to the Cornell Astronomy program, explaining that it was not just for the prestige but for professional development and networking.
"With the REUs, you've not only gained a sense of accomplishment for getting accepted into one, (but also) the amount of professional development, networking and skills that you've learned from that experience," he said. "Even if you don't get into grad school, you still will be able to have that experience from your undergrad that you can apply to something else."
Headon is one of many students across the country affected by these cancellations. Many have taken to Reddit and created a mega-thread, sharing frustrations and updates on the programs that were canceled.
"For many of these students, this program means the difference between getting into a grad school and not getting into a grad school," Learner Ponterio said.
Noah Snyder-Mackler, an associate professor at the School of Life Sciences and founder of the SMack Lab, an REU program that has been running for four years, believes that these programs are important in shaping future scientists.
"The cost to fund these REUs in the grand scheme of things, even within my own lab, but at the national level as well, is a drop in the bucket of the budget of NSF," Snyder-Mackler said. "The ability to provide these paid opportunities and dedicated training opportunities is essential for the future of science in the United States."
As for students who have gotten the chance to participate in an REU, the impact can be life-changing. Melia Menke, an ASU alumna who studied biological sciences and participated in an REU through the SMack Lab, said the opportunity opened doors.
"It has helped me tremendously," Menke said. "(The REU) helped me land my very first internship with a small biotech company. And it also helped me get my current job, which is working as a lab technician."
With so many cancellations, students like Headon are left to search for alternatives.
"The best thing that anyone can do in these unprecedented times is to just focus on what you can control and strengthen your application from there because having your opportunity taken away doesn't reflect on who you are as a person," Headon said.
Students are taking space to vent their frustrations, but there may still be opportunities available during the limited time spent as an undergrad.
"It is an unfortunate thing that this is happening right before it's time for the selection and the decisions to go out," Learner Ponterio said. "It's not an easy thing. Just find something else that is still accepting applications at this point."
As these cancellations disrupt students' academic and career journeys, researchers like Snyder-Mackler stress the long-term consequences of losing these opportunities.
"Investing in the next generation of scientists is a huge priority," Snyder-Mackler said. "If we can't do that, we may not feel the consequences of that in the next few years, but we certainly will in the next decade."
Edited by Sophia Ramirez, Abigail Beck and Natalia Jarrett.
Reach the reporter at mmart533@asu.edu.
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MJ is a freshman studying computer science and journalism and mass communication. This is her first semester with The State Press. She has also worked on her high school newspaper.
