Research Experience for Undergraduates Fellowship Spotlight

The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site: Social and Environmental Influences on Brain and Behavior is a one year fellowship designed to provide immersive research training for ten undergraduate students from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. The program pairs each fellow with a faculty mentor in a participating research lab, where students engage in independent and collaborative research examining how social and environmental contexts influence brain development, cognition, behavior, and mental health.

The fellowship exposes students to a broad range of psychological subdisciplines, including social, developmental, cognitive, and neuroscience, while providing hands on training in a range of research methodologies, such as behavioral experimentation, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), computational modeling, survey research, and statistical data analysis. Through sustained mentorship and active participation in ongoing research projects, fellows develop the technical, analytical, and professional skills necessary for success in graduate education and research careers.

A distinguishing feature of the program is its emphasis on community engaged research. The fellowship includes a dedicated Community Liaison who serves as the primary connection between the research labs and the surrounding community. The Community Liaison establishes and maintains partnerships with local organizations, manages a database of community members interested in participating in research, coordinates outreach opportunities, and provides training for fellows on culturally responsive and ethical community engagement. These efforts strengthen participant recruitment, foster reciprocal relationships with community partners, and promote research practices that are inclusive, accessible, and responsive to the needs of varied populations and communities.