SUST majors who have had some biology/environmental science classes are in a good position to apply for a Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) summer fellowships, offered through generous funding by the National Science Foundation. These fellowships are excellent opportunities to work directly with scientific researchers on lab- and field-based topics, gain hands-on research experience, and network with fellow undergrads from other schools. Plus they’re well compensated with a fellowship stipend of several thousand dollars. (Yes — you read that correctly.)

Here in the Chicago region there are several notable REU programs that offer multiple paid fellowships, including those at the Field Museum of Natural History, the School of Freshwater Sciences at the University of WI Milwaukee, and the Center for Ecology at Southern IL University in downstate Carbondale.

Further afield, check out these opportunities at the University of Vermont’s Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Lab summer research fellowship…