Application Process

Please read the information below carefully before proceeding to the online application form.

Important Info

Flyer for 2025-26 Projects
Application for 2025 Programs

 

17 Feb:  Applications due

15 Mar:  Acceptance letters sent

 

Application Checklist (Read Carefully)

  • Determine which program (Gateway or Advanced) is most suitable for your educational background
  • Decide which projects within the Gateway or Advanced Program best suit your interests and background
  • Create an NSF ETAP account at:  https://etap.nsf.gov/applicant-info; Note: other users report that Google Chrome works better with the NSF ETAP platform, and we have found that using Google Authenticate works well for the multifactor authentication that is required on Research.gov
  • Prepare a “core application” (required by NSF ETAP) that contains core information (e.g., demographic, education, experience) that can be used for multiple applications
  • Read about How to Choose a Recommender and the Steps in Requesting a Recommendation
  • Prepare the information required for the Keck Geology REU application found on the NSF ETAP site
  • Submit a completed application before the February deadline
  • Provide your recommender with copies of your application materials
  • Send your recommender the link to the online recommendation form: https://keckgeology.org/faculty/
  • Check with your recommender to ensure that they submit their information before the deadline

Download printable version of the Application Checklist

Information Needed for Keck Geology REU Application Form on NSF ETAP

The complete online application requires the following information:

  • Past earth science and science coursework and grades
  • Anticipated earth science coursework before the start of the Keck REU project
  • Faculty Recommender’s name and email
  • Essays responding to the prompts below.

Download a printable version of the Application Prompts

Essays for Application to Keck Geology REU (NSF ETAP):

The NSF ETAP form allows up to 5,000 characters for each essay response, but <2,500 characters of well-written text should be sufficient.

  1. Describe your personal goals for participating in this summer research (REU) program.
  2. How would participation in this summer’s (REU) research program help you meet your academic and career goals as you currently envision them?
  3. What strengths (academic and non-academic) would you bring to a Keck Geology REU project that will contribute to its success?
  4. Many of the problems confronting local and global communities are without historical precedent and lie at the intersection of earth science and society.  As such, there is an urgent societal need for a geoscience workforce that thinks, works, and communicates in new ways.  Please describe how your unique qualities and interests, lived experiences, or training might contribute, during and after participation in this REU, to the diverse approaches and creative problem-solving needed for meeting the challenges facing modern society.
  5. Each of the projects offered this coming summer poses unique challenges. Please read carefully the “Logistics” sections in the detailed descriptions of each of the projects on the Keck Geology Consortium website  (keckgeology.org/research-opportunities/). Are you able to perform the essential functions of the projects you are interested in?  If you need reasonable accommodations, please describe.

Application Deadline:

The application period closes February 17, 2025.

For questions about the application process, contact Dr. Cameron Davidson (cdavidso@carleton.edu) or Dr. Karl Wirth (wirth@macalester.edu).

Application at NSF ETAP