Recruiting Veterans (and a limited number of non-Veterans) who are undergraduates to participate in this program sponsored by the National Science Foundation; participating students will earn a $3,370 stipend.

The Undergraduate Trauma Research Training program is a National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Education for Undergraduates (REU) program, a collaborative venture between Syracuse University, SUNY Oswego, and SUNY Upstate Medical University. The program is directed by Kevin Heffernan, Ph.D, Dean’s Associate Professor of Exercise Science in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, and co-directed by Karen Wolford, Ph.D., Professor Department of Psychology and Coordinator of the Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate Program in Trauma Studies at SUNY Oswego and includes other outstanding faculty from these institutions as well as SUNY Upstate Medical University.

This program for undergraduates is designed to improve access to research experiences for groups typically underrepresented in research (namely, veterans) through the creation of a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site.

The program is purposefully structured to span one full year. First, students will have a 2-week online orientation followed by an intensive six-week virtual summer program involving coursework, mentored student-faculty interactions, and the development of a research project. The program will take place May 22 – June 30, 2023 (with short synchronous and asynchronous online orientation events to be held the two weeks prior).

Participating students receive a $3,370 stipend for attending this summer session.

Second, students are expected to continue their research, from their home institution, under the mentorship of REU faculty during the Fall semester.

Finally, students are expected to present their research at a national or international conference in Fall or Spring. The travel and registration expense for the conference is provided to the student through this program.

This program is designed to bring together veterans and non-veterans in a safe environment as we pursue trauma and related research activities.

COVID Note: To date, the summer 2023 program is scheduled to be held in person – While we are hopeful that we will be able to offer an in-person experience for Summer 2023, we must follow regulations set by the university and local, state, and federal governments. We reserve the right to move from in-person participation to holding the program virtually based on the conditions and guidance from the university and local, state, and federal governments.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under grant numbers 1852109 and 1852104. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.