Conducting National Science Foundation (NSF) Research at an External Institution

Starting new research at a different institution is like walking into a new grocery store; you have no idea where to find what you need, you do not know anyone, and you don’t exactly know what you are looking for. However, if you keep shopping there, you can become a very efficient and successful shopper, and the same goes for my experience in a National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program at the University of Kansas. I was selected to participate in the IDEA Incubator for Porous Materials program in the summer of 2025, and my research project was in the field of heterogeneous (multi-phase) catalysis, which is a research area in chemical engineering. As a prior recipient of a Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP) grant from the Hamel Center for Undergraduate Research, my skills were honed early on, drastically enhancing my potential as an REU applicant and aiding in my adaptation to a new research environment. In this blog post, I will describe my experience transitioning from Hamel Center programs to a research institution 1,400 miles from home, all while continuing to learn and grow as an undergraduate researcher.

Section 1: Getting Settled

After flying halfway across the country, I needed to get acquainted with the folks I was about to spend ten weeks learning alongside. Fortunately, my REU program offered free on-campus housing and food, so my three roommates and I, all from different institutions across the country, could live close to our laboratories. During the first few days, I spent my time with my roommates exploring Lawrence, Kansas, learning the locations and enjoying the local restaurants. I was lucky to have roommates who were very excited to socialize, but in case you find yourself with more reclusive roommates, there is a cohort of researchers in each program who you can meet and spend time with.

The University of Kansas faculty organizers offered a schedule of weekly social events for the twelve-person cohort including cookouts, group hikes, trampoline park visits, and golf range adventures. To help the REU organizers, I took on the role of the REU event coordinator, and besides budgeting and facilitating each event, it helped me personally connect with every student in the program and become a friendly face. If your research program does not offer group socials, do not be afraid to propose something to your program organizers; they will be happy to help you bring the group closer together!

Section 2: New Lab, New You!

After familiarizing myself with the campus and my cohort members, I was quickly exposed to a new laboratory environment with two new mentors: a graduate student and my summer PI (Principal Investigator). In the first weeks, meeting everyone, making a good first impression, and getting to know the laboratory was pivotal for starting my project. Simply enough, I always showed up early, showed enthusiasm and was attentive, and always asked questions. These folks who chose you to be a part of an REU program want you to benefit from every experience, so do your best to engage with everything and everyone!

As a researcher in catalysis, my familiar laboratory environment looks like a stereotypical science lab with more valves, syringes, and glassware than you can imagine, but when I made the transition from my UNH laboratory to a new lab ten times the size, it was quite the shock. The whole environment was unfamiliar: new process controls, new safety protocols, and new locations for all the necessary items; it felt like being lost in a huge grocery store. What made this program unique was the necessity to rapidly apply knowledge to a novel ongoing project and adapt to each new challenge. I found myself asking lots of questions about safety and reaction processes, and it was an extraordinarily effective method of learning. For readers entering an REU program (or any research program outside UNH), I hope you too feel an equally exciting environment like what I found at the University of Kansas to challenge your skills and facilitate growth. My best advice for creating that experience is to keep showing up ready to succeed every day.  

Section 3: Maintaining Connections

After ten weeks of rigorous research, I completed my REU working on a project to harness the potential of biomass waste to convert into more valuable products through catalysis. I met dozens of high-achieving undergraduate and graduate students, accomplished research faculty, and each of my cohort members who all completed distinct research projects throughout the program. I made it a point to connect with each one of these individuals, discuss the importance of their work, and learn new ways of approaching research academically and professionally. I already reaped the benefits of these connections by being offered acceptance to the University of Kansas for graduate school, having one-on-one meetings with successful entrepreneurs in the chemical industry, and having a distinguished professor come and present to my club, the UNH Energy Club, about their work. These connections are valuable; I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to meet people and develop a network during such an opportunistic program as the NSF REU.

Final Notes

Through my REU program at the University of Kansas, I achieved great milestones. I have begun drafting my first publication alongside my REU graduate mentor, I completed my fourth poster presentation, and I learned so much more about careers in research. Now, for those who are interested in REU programs: stay interested. Although these programs are quite selective (I was accepted to one out of the seventeen programs I applied to), I highly recommend pursuing these experiences because it was the most informational and transformative experience of my undergraduate research career. These experiences are listed on the NSF website where you can view hundreds of programs in a plethora of fields. My REU gave me the chance to branch out and uncover a unique environment for research, and going from being lost in a grocery store to being as experimentally competent as a veteran researcher is a great feeling.