Student Experience
The internal TECS REU program is designed for students to work 20 hours per week over 10 weeks. During that time you will get hands-on laboratory and research experience, career and professional development workshops, and social activities with the REU cohort.
Why take part in an REU?
- REU students learn critical research skills like time management, project organization and background investigations that set them up for success in their careers.
- Discover new interests that can help guide your career path
- Develop professional skills to help you now and after graduation through the numerous workshop options held during the summer program.
- Get to know your fellow REUs, graduate students and faculty mentors with social activities. This is a great way to taste the many delicious NC State’s Howling Cow ice cream flavors.
“I learned so much from the workshops and in my research. I felt supported by my mentors and felt there were the of resources and opportunities I needed to be successful both now and going forward.”
-2021 REU Student
Workshop Topics Included:
Our workshops cover a range of topics covering research techniques, professional development, and tutorials on different tools. We include opportunities to present to your peers and learn about the research they are doing.
- Resume and portfolio building
- Unconscious bias in research
- How to pay for grad school
- Interview skills
- Networking on LinkedIn
- Conducting a literature review
- Using AI to enhance your research
2025 Summer Workshop Schedule
Our draft workshop schedule is out! We have tried to vary the workshop times to allow participants with classes or other jobs to attend some.
Check back here for updates as we confirm workshop leads and locations. Workshops will be held in either room 2207 or 2115 depending on the needs of the workshop.
Updated 5/28/25: Note that Reading Rainbow Pt2 has been rescheduled.
| Activity | Date/Time | Workshop Lead | Location | Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orientation | May 19, 2025 11:00 -1:00 | Dr. Joines and Dr. Mills | Textiles 2207 | Join us as we kick off the program and stay for lunch to get to know the faculty |
| LinkedIn Intro | May 22, 2025 1:30 – 2:30pm | Jeff Sackaroff | Textiles 2115 | Bring your laptop and make a LinkedIn profile |
| Implicit Bias | May 27, 2025 1:00 – 2:00pm | Michael Tuma | Textiles 2115 | Practice identifying biases and learn about other life perspectives |
| The Research Process and Safety | May 28, 2025 2:00 – 3:30pm | Dr. Gluck | Textiles 2115 | What is the research process? Learn key steps to take to conduct research safely |
| Reading Rainbow: Academic Ed. 1 | May 29, 2025 10:00am – 12:00pm | Dr. Williams Cherry and Dr. Schroeder | Textiles 2115 | Part 1 will go over how to find literature, search databases, and see what is relevant to your project |
| Microscopy Training | June 3, 2025 1:00 – 3:00pm | Dr. Smith and Cynthia Salcedo Chavez | Textiles 2119 | Get training for using digital microscopy and SEM |
| Reading Rainbow: Academic Ed. 2 | June 5, 2025 10:00am – 12:00pm | Dr. Williams Cherry and Dr. Schroeder | Textiles 2115 | Part 2 covers how to read journal articles and use reference management software to keep track of everything |
| Powerful Powerpoints | June 4, 2025 11:00am – 12:00pm | Dr. Mills and Dr. Gluck | Textiles 2115 | Conquer your fears of technical presentations and learn how to craft a compelling technical story |
| Peer Presentations | June 6, 2025 1:00 – 3:00pm | n/a | Textiles 2207 | Present your project overview and background to your peers |
| Social Media for Technical Fields | June 9, 2025 1:00 – 2:00pm | Susan Llanos and Amanda Padbury | Textiles 2115 | How can social media help your career? What do you even post? Learn how to create engaging posts that highlight your skills |
| Poster Presentations | June 10, 2025 10:00 – 11:00am | Dr. Gluck and Dr. Mills | Textiles 2115 | Posters are commonly used for research presentations. Learn how to summarize your work in a small space. |
| Research Writing | June 19, 2025 | Textiles 2115 | Writing a high quality manuscript is different from writing a report. We’ll cover the differences and how to write about it. | |
| Crafting a Resume | June 25, 2025 | Jeff Sackaroff | Textiles 2115 | Draft and update your resume with tips from our Director of Career Services |
| Peer Presentations | June 27, 2025 | n/a | Textiles 2207 | Present an update on your project to your peers |
| AI-Enhanced Research | June 30, 2025 | TBD | Textiles 2115 | This workshop will review how to ethically use AI to enhance your research goals, assess data, and summarize results. |
| Interview Skills | July 1, 2025 3:00 – 4:30pm | Jeff Sackaroff | Textiles 2115 | Hone your interview skills with tips from our Director of Career Services and practice them with mock interviews. |
| Data Visualization | July 9, 2025 11:00am – 12:00pm | Dr. Mills | Textiles 2115 | What makes a good graph? How can you show a lot of data in one plot? We’ll learn how to use Origin to generate publication-worthy images |
| Networking | July 11, 2025 10:00 – 11:00am | Jeff Sackaroff | Textiles 2115 | Navigating career fairs and LinkedIn can be intimidating. Learn how to grow your network and secure future opportunities. |
| Summer Symposium Poster Feedback | July 14, 2025 | Graduate Students | TBD | Have a graduate student review and provide feedback on your final poster |
| Attending graduate school at Wilson College | July 17, 2025 | Dr. Vinueza Benitez, Graduate Students | Textiles 2115 | Learn more about the graduate programs offered at our college and how to pay for it. AMA style panel with current graduate students |
| IP and Technology Transfer | July 22, 2025 | Erin Tillery | Textiles 2115 | What do you do with a great idea? You patent it! This workshop reviews the technology transfer process and demystifies intellectual property |
| Peer Presentations | July 24, 2025 | n/a | Textiles 2207 | Present the final outcomes of your summer project to your peers, graduate students, and other faculty. |
| Summer Symposium | July 25, 2025 | Kimbrell Atrium | This is the University-level summer poster session for all of the REU programs across campus. | |