The intellectual focus of this virtual 10-week REU site is computational modeling to serve and enhance communities. Students will be involved in multi-disciplinary, community-based research projects and trained in computational thinking across different disciplines. In doing so, they will gain an understanding of the potential and limits of these tools and how they can serve diverse communities.

Portland State University (PSU), with its NSF-funded Portland Institute for Computational Science (PICS), is ideally suited for this REU site as it has developed a reputation as a national model for urban universities that enhance their region by working with partners to solve problems. The activities of this virtual REU Site will involve a 2-week training followed by an 8-week research project completed under a faculty mentor’s guidance and with the involvement of a community partner. Our intellectual focus is ideal for a virtual site as students only need computer access.

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Interested in computational modeling and thinking?

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Interested in solving real-world problems?

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Interested to work with a community partner?

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The intended impact of the REU Site is to teach students the fundamental skills of computational modeling and thinking that will help them understand and solve applied problems in the real world. The intellectual merit of the site is rooted in exposing students to real-world, applied, community based computational modeling projects as a way of developing their computational thinking well beyond the computing disciplines. Interdisciplinary projects across disciplines and communities together with weekly site meetings will provide students a unique, multi-faceted perspective of solving complex real-world problems. 

• Completed at least one year of college (i.e., rising sophomore, junior or senior by the time the internship starts) and not graduate before the end of the internship.
• Majoring in a STEM or related discipline.
• US citizens or permanent resident.
• Students from institutions with limited STEM and research opportunities (such as 2-year community colleges) and tribal colleges/universities are specifically encouraged to apply.
• High school graduates who have been accepted at an undergraduate institution but who have not yet started their undergraduate study are also eligible to participate.