About the REU

The Proactive Health Informatics group’s research aims to build usable, secure, and intelligent pervasive systems that empower people to manage their health and see how their everyday decisions impact their progress to achieve future health goals. Our REU site will provide students with a unique opportunity to learn techniques in the areas of human computer interaction, pervasive computing (mobile or wearable), machine learning, image recognition, and the social implications of these technologies. Students will learn appropriate methods, software tools, and analysis techniques related to their project, thus experience is not necessarily required. In addition, all students will learn scholarly professional development skills such as synthesizing related work, identifying research aims, designing ethical studies, collecting data, analyzing results, and presenting results in papers and presentations.

 

Updates: https://www.facebook.com/iuprohealthreu

What will students do?

REU Participants will:

 

  • be trained to become the next generation of scholars to conduct cross-cutting computing research;
  • prepare for graduate education and research career opportunities through preparatory workshops and one-on-one mentoring;
  • engage in an interactive mentoring relationship with a faculty member and graduate student;
  • work with mentors to disseminate research; and
  • inspire lifelong learners to consider computing through interactive experiences.

Logistics

Our 2022 REU dates are Sunday, May 22, 2022 through Saturday, July 16, 2022.

 

For the 8-weeks of participation, each student will receive travel to and from Bloomington (up to $550 within the U.S.), a $4800 stipend, and free room and board.

How to Apply

Application deadline is February 28, 2022. ProHealth reserves the right to review, interview, and select participants on a rolling basis, thus people who apply sooner have a better opportunity for a position within the ProHealth Research community.

 

We encourage undergraduate students interested in computing/informatics oriented areas – independent of experience or years in their respective programs – to apply to our REU program.

 

One of the goals of the REU program is to broaden participation of students from traditionally underrepresented groups in computing and/or who do not have access to research facilities at their home institution. We strongly invite applications from women, students of color, first-generation college students, gender and sexual minorities, veterans, and students with disabilities. Previous research experience is not a requirement.

 

In preparation for applying to the ProHealth REU Site, please make sure you have:

 

  • Name and contact information of 2 people willing to write a letter of recommendation for you
    • We will only contact letter writers of applicants who make it to our video interview round.
  • Your unofficial transcript 
  • Resume or CV
  • A short statement to tell us about your interest in the ProHealth REU and how you contributed to diversity and inclusion in your own institution/department/class.

 

Once your materials are gathered, please apply here: https://www.nsfetap.org/award/105/opportunity/106

 

  • You will need to create an account
  • In the “Site Selection” section, you will be able to select IU ProHealth REU 

 

This program is funded in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Stipends from NSF funds are restricted to U.S. citizens or permanent residents. International applicants with a stipend through their home institution are welcome to apply. If international applicants are selected, we will provide research housing. Other NSF-supported REU programs may be found at the NSF https://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/list_result.jsp

 

Indiana University values diversity and invites applicants from underrepresented groups who will enrich the research, teaching, and service missions of the university. We are an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer, and we encourage applications from women, minorities, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Will the ProHealth REU be online or in-person for Summer 2022?

At this time, we are currently planning for the ProHealth REU to be in-person.

Can I participate in the ProHealth REU Site if I graduate in December 2021 or May 2022 or June 2022?

No, you cannot participate in the ProHealth REU Site if you already graduated. You can only participate in the ProHealth REU site if you graduate after the REU site completes (e.g., it is okay if you graduate in August 2022 or December 2022).

I do not finish school until the end of May/mid-June. Can I start the ProHealth REU site late?

Unfortunately, we cannot have people start late. We start off the ProHealth REU with an intense week to learn all the skills necessary for the REU site and then we utilize a specific mentoring cohort model that does not work well if everyone does not start and finish at the same time. In the past, students have coordinated to take their final early or we have provided accommodations for students to take final exams here (e.g., a professor sends the final to a ProHealth REU faculty, we proctor the final exam in a quiet environment, and scan the assignment back to the professor).

I recently graduated high school and start college at a university in August/September 2022. Can I participate in the ProHealth REU site?

Students who apply to the ProHealth REU site must already be enrolled in a university. So if you are officially enrolled in a university – either through courses you took at a university during high school or enrolled at your future university early (before May 22, 2022) – you can apply to the ProHealth REU site.

I am not a computer scientist or informatics student, but I am interested in seeing if graduate studies in computing or informatics is right for me. Would the ProHealth REU be appropriate for me based on my skill set?

The ProHealth REU site can be an appropriate place to learn about informatics, computing, health informatics, and research. Please look at our past participants, their majors, and projects to get a sense of what they did.

I am an international or undocumented student, can I apply?

For undocumented and International applicants, if they have a stipend through their home institution, they are welcome to apply. If undocumented or international applications are selected, we will provide research housing.​ Please note in your application that you have this funding.

What do we do during the REU?

  • Week 1: Ramp-up week – we have a ramp up week to teach you skills you will use throughout the REU and learn about each project. We do not assign you a project before the REU, instead during ramp-up week, you learn about each project, practice skills each project requires, and get a better sense of if you want to do that type of research for 7 more weeks. REUs also learn about our outreach project. At the end of Week 1, you select your top 3 projects and the faculty look at how you did on project-related assignments to pair you for an optimal research experience.
  • Week 2-7: Research weeks you –
    • meet often with your graduate mentor (depending on the project and timeframe, sometimes daily and at least once a week);
    • meet at least once a week with your faculty mentor;
    • attend weekly workshops to learn more about preparing for graduate studies, research, and graduate careers in and outside of academia;
    • attend twice a month teas to informally network with faculty, staff, and fellow researchers;
    • lead outreach activities with a local group;
    • and conduct cutting edge research and have a dedicated research space with fellow REUs close to faculty and graduate student mentors.
  • Week 8: Wrap-up week – you wrap up your research, make future plans for publication, and present your research at our Summer Research Symposium.

What do ProHealth REU students do after the REU site?

Many ProHealth REU students continue doing research with us so they can see their work published.

ProHealth REU students:

 

  • co-author papers at highly competitive computing venues
  • compete in international ACM student research competitions
    • Olivia K. Richards earned 2nd place in the ACM SIGCHI 2017 Undergraduate Student Research Competition.
    • Gabrielle Cantor completed in the ACM SIGCHI 2018 Undergraduate Student Research Competition
    • Flannery Currin and Gustavo Razo competed in the ACM SIGCHI 2019 Undergraduate Student Research Competition
  • present posters regionally and at international conferences
    • 7 REU students: Julia, Ciabhan, Maxine, Meagan, Gabrielle, Sergio, and Vanessa, co-authored 4 papers for the Workshop on Interactive Systems in Healthcare. Check out their profiles to get a sense of what they presented.
  • innovate in industry positions
    • 4 out of 11 REU students who have graduated have accepted industry positions (e.g., IBM Watson, Amazon)
  • continue on with research as…
    • undergraduate students – 9 out of 22 ProHealth REUs went on to future research programs
    • graduate students – 7 out of 11 REU students who have graduated have accepted graduate positions (e.g., U. Washington, CMU, Arizona State, Syracuse, and IU)
  • receive distinguished national and international awards (e.g., National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and Barry Goldwater Scholarship Honorable Mention)

Contact Information

If you have any questions, please contact Professor Katie Siek at ksiek@indiana.edu.

Contact Information

Indiana University

Informatics – ProHealth Informatics REU Program

919 E. 10th Street

Bloomington, IN 47408 USA

Website: https://prohealth.luddy.indiana.edu/reu/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iuprohealthreu

Primary Contact: Professor Katie Siek, ksiek@indiana.edu

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