REU Program

IoT4Ag REU Summer Program

Application materials will be accepted through February 28, 2025. Offers will be made on a rolling basis.

2025 Application Deadline: February 28, 2025

The U.S. National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for the Internet of Things for Precision Agriculture (IoT4Ag) seeks undergraduate applicants for its Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program for summer 2025.

This program is designed to give undergraduate students the opportunity to work with scientists from Purdue University, University of Florida, and the University of Pennsylvania on cutting-edge 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 will 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. (View the anticipated summer projects here.)

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 background, interests, location preference, and the project needs and requirements. All projects will provide the opportunity to learn next-generation approaches and to develop experience working in at least one of the research facilities using state-of-the-art equipment. Students will gain experience with substantial aspects of doing science: experimental design, data collection, and communication of results. Students will also participate in activities that complement the lab research and help to develop broader scientific and career skills: seminars, paper discussions, career sessions and skills workshops.

Student participants will earn a stipend and will have housing accommodations and travel allowances that depend on each university’s policy for summer programs.
 

Program at-a-Glance

Focus:
Research opportunities across a wide 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.

2025 Application Deadline: February 28, 2025

Dates and Locations:
Participants will be assigned to one of three IoT4Ag partner sites:

*Dates may vary slightly

Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
May 26 – August 8, 2025

University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
May 27 – August 1, 2025

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
May 27 – August 1, 2025

Eligibility

You must be an enrolled undergraduate student, at least 18 years of age, who will not graduate before September 2025.

Applicants should be matriculated at a non-IoT4Ag Institution. If you are a student at University of Pennsylvania, University of Florida, Purdue University or University of California Merced, there may be other IoT4Ag opportunities. You can contact your local IoT4Ag faculty or we suggest that you look for opportunities listed on Pathways to Science.
 

Applications will be reviewed during the application period and applicants will be selected on a rolling basis.

Application Components

a) Online application form

b) Personal statement (1-page)

c) One letter of recommendation

d) Transcript from your current school and from all colleges you have attended 

e) Resume (1-page)

These components are described in the application form below.

Letters of recommendation should be from faculty members or supervisors who can address your academic and/or research abilities and potential.

Application Deadline

Applications should be completed on the U.S. National Science Foundation ETAP website, including recommendation letters. 

The 2025 application deadline is February 28, 2025.

Questions: Please reach out to us at iot4ag@seas.upenn.edu