Students will spend nine weeks in beautiful West Central Wisconsin in Menomonie, training under research mentors in biology, economics, anthropology, political science, psychology, or engineering. This will better prepare students in their research skills while also furthering our knowledge for improving eutrophic lakes, particularly in the Midwestern U.S.
Not only will you improve your analytical skills in a particular discipline, but you will gain interdisciplinary, applied problem-solving skills that reflect larger changes in sustainability-related research in academia, government, and the private sector. We have fun, we learn stuff, and we try to make a difference to our collective relationship with nature. So will you.
Menomonie is located in the hills of western Wisconsin, about an hour east of Minneapolis/St. Paul and about 20 minutes west of Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls. It's a charming small college town, nestled on Lake Menomin, with a low cost of living, good schools, and lots of great amenities - particularly if you enjoy the outdoors and boating, hiking, biking, or running. Menomonie has historic roots as home to the largest lumber corporation in the world (Knapp, Stout & Co.) during the late 1800s. The university is named after one of the founders of the company.
Recently, Smithsonian Magazine named Menomonie one of the 20 best small towns in America.
Housing, Travel, and Stipend
LAKES REU participants receive a $5400 research stipend for the summer, in addition to free housing in UW-Stout dorms for the summer and a $450 food allowance. Travel reimbursement up to $500 to and from Menomonie for the summer is also available along with funding support to travel to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research to present your final research findings.