Request Letter for REU PI

Survey Instruments
REQUEST LETTER FOR REU PI
Subject line: NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Study
Dear Dr. [insert last name],
We are conducting a study for the National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Engineering (ENG) to
evaluate the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program and would appreciate your
assistance. Your name was provided to us by NSF as principal investigator (PI) on an REU award in FY
2003 through 2006.
Using the attached form, please provide us the following:
1) Names and contact information for all undergraduate students who participated in your REU research
during 2003 through 2006.
2) Names and contact information for all faculty and engineers who served as formal or informal mentors
for those students (including yourself, any Co-PI, other faculty, or engineers). Please do not include
postdoc or graduate student research mentors.
We will contact the students and mentors next fall to ask them to complete a questionnaire about their
experiences in REU. We will contact each by e-mail but ask for phone and other contact information to help
us locate those whose e-mail address has changed. A permanent phone number for each student (such as a
parent or other relative) would be very helpful, if available.
If you are not the PI of an REU award or did not involve undergraduate students in your research during FY
2003 through 2006 or prefer not to participate, please reply to this e-mail with a brief explanation, and we
will remove your name from our survey sample.
The information you provide will be kept strictly confidential and will be used only for the purposes of this
evaluation. Your participation is important to the success of this study.
For more information about our study, please see the overview below. If you have any other questions,
simply reply to this e- mail or call me at 360-380-4126. You may also contact Esther Bolding at NSF
([email protected], 703-292-5342).
Sincerely yours,
Mary P Hancock
Study Director
SRI International (www.sri.com/policy)
1100 Wilson Blvd. Suite 2800
Arlington, VA 22209
360-380-4126

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STUDY OVERVIEW
What is the objective of this study?
The objective of the study is to obtain in-depth information about the activities, outcomes, and impacts of the
NSF Directorate of Engineering (ENG) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program from the
perspectives of the faculty and undergraduate student participants. It is anticipated that the study results will
help NSF better understand the components and characteristics of effective REUs and thus will help provide
direction to ENG’s REU program officers in their reviews of REU proposals and in the advice they give to
REU PIs. The study is NOT an evaluation of outcomes from individual NSF awards or the people involved
with them.
How was I selected for this study?
All undergraduate students, faculty mentors, and principal investigators (PIs) who participated in NSF ENG
REU awards during 2003 through 2006 are included in this study. The PIs of those awards were contacted
earlier this year and provided us with the names and contact information of undergraduate students who
engaged in REU activities during 2003 through 2006, as well as faculty who mentored/supervised those
students.
Can I get a copy of the study results?
We will send all survey participants a brief summary of the survey results next year. The study report will
be available on SRI’s Web site at http://www.sri.com:8000/policy/csted/reports/university.
Who funded the study and who is involved?
The project is funded by the National Science Foundation and conducted by researchers from SRI
International (formerly Stanford Research Institute) http://www.sri.com/policy.
Privacy Notice
Information from this survey will be retained by the National Science Foundation (NSF), a federal agency,
and will be an integral part of its Privacy Act System of Records in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974
and maintained in the Education and Training System of Records 63 Fed. Reg. 264, 272 (January 5, 1998).
These are confidential files accessible only to appropriate NSF officials, their staffs, and their contractors
responsible for monitoring, assessing, and evaluating NSF programs. Only data in highly aggregated form
will be made available to anyone outside of NSF for research purposes. Data submitted will be used in
accordance with criteria established by NSF for monitoring research and education grants, and in response to
Public Law 99-383 and 42 USC 1885c.
Where can I find more information about the project?
Contact the SRI study director, Mary Hancock (360-380-4126, [email protected]) or the NSF project
officer, Esther Bolding ([email protected], 703-292-5342).

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