2025 Application Deadline: February 27, 2026*
*Application materials will be accepted through February 27, 2026 or until positions are filled. Offers will be made on a rolling basis.
The U.S. National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for the Internet of Things for Precision Agriculture (IoT4Ag) seeks applicants for its Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program. Summer undergraduates work with graduate students and faculty researchers from Purdue University, University of California Merced, University of Florida, and the University of Pennsylvania on research to address the societal grand challenge of food, energy, and water security by advancing technologies that increase crop production, while minimizing the use of energy and water resources and the impact of agricultural practices on the environment.
Projects focus on the creation of internet of things (IoT) technologies from multi-mode distributable sensors, autonomous robotics, and energy and communication devices for field-scale operations to AI-driven digital twins of row and tree crops and human-centered decision-Ag interfaces for field management. These technologies will be integrated into systems that capture the microclimate and spatially, temporally, and compositionally map heterogeneous stresses for early detection and intervention to better outcomes in agricultural crop production.
Students will be matched to projects based on their academic backgrounds and interests and specific summer project requirements. Students will get the opportunity to learn next-generation approaches and to develop experience working in research facilities using state-of-the-art equipment. Students will gain experience with experimental design, data collection, and communication of results. Students will participate in activities that complement the research towards the development of broader scientific and career skills. The program provides a stipend, housing accommodations or offset, and travel allowances that depend on each university’s policies. Dates may also vary slightly by hosting university.
IoT4Ag is a convergent research environment. Students in undergraduate programs from a wide-range of STEM, engineering and the social science majors have successfully contributed to the Center’s research.
Summer Research spans a range of disciplines from agronomy, agricultural engineering, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, environmental science, mechanical engineering, materials science, mechanical engineering, robotics, sensors, data science, and social sciences.
Applications Accepted through February 27, 2026
Offers are made on a rolling basis; the application acceptance date may be moved earlier or extended according to when the positions are filled.
Locations:
Participants will be matched to an IoT4Ag site.
Dates are host site-dependent. These ranges include move-in days; full-time commitment required.
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
May 25 – August 7, 2026
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
May 23 – August 1, 2026
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
May 23 – August 1, 2026
University of California Merced, Merced, CA
Dates – TBA
a) Online application form through NSF ETAP
b) Personal statement
c) Two letters of recommendation
d) Transcript from your current school and from all colleges you have attended
e) Resume
These components are collected as part of the online application form.
Letters of recommendation should be from faculty members or supervisors who can address your academic and/or research abilities and potential.
Applications should be completed on the U.S. National Science Foundation ETAP website, including recommendation letters.
The 2026 application deadline is anticipated to be February 27, 2026. See notes about this date above.
Questions: Please reach out to us at iot4ag@seas.upenn.edu
