Recapturing Research Opportunities
Upper-level physics majors at Yale University help new students pick physics courses during a “bluebooking” event.
Photo courtesy of the chapter.
Many physics students cultivate research skills through summer programs at their home institution, Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs), and lab internships. During our weekly snack-fueled study halls, Yale students painstakingly write and edit application essays for these opportunities, as well as share recommendations.
In the spring of 2025, after the current administration severely cut National Science Foundation funding, several US institutions reduced or cut their REU programs. Some programs, such as a women-specific internship at Fermilab, disappeared almost overnight, while other programs, such as Cornell University’s astrophysics and planetary science REU, initially accepted students and later canceled the positions.
While Yale offers a fellowship for on-campus research, by the time other institutions started issuing cancelations, the deadline had already passed. Many of our students were left without summer research positions. This spurred our SPS chapter to work closely with physics professor Paul Tipton and the Dean’s Office to extend Yale’s Research Fellowship deadline. We were successful, giving more students the opportunity to secure summer research. Our contributions, particularly through the efforts of SPS members Max Watzky, Nikita Mazotov, and Diya Naik, were recognized by the Yale Daily News.
In the coming year, SPS chapters must be attuned to how we can best guide students, including international and minority students, on navigating applications for research opportunities, graduate school, fellowships, and grants in the face of legislation that reduces funding for science.
