Frequently Asked Questions
About REU Programs at Pitt
Last Updated:
1. When does it start and end?
This exact information can usually be found on the web site. The starting
dates will change from summer to summer, but usually early June to early
August for a 10-week period. For example, the exact dates for the Chemistry
REU program can be found Announcements web page, the Description & Requirements
web page, and the web Calendar.
2. What dorm will I be in and will I have a roommate?
If you accept the housing we provide, you will be living in the Litchfield
Tower Dorms, in a section that accommodates many other REU students
and you will have the dorm room to yourself. The female students
will be on the 13th floor and the males students on the 15th floor of
Tower C.
Litchfield Towers are within easy walking distance of the Chemistry
Building. (See FAQ #10 for various maps.)
3. Are there certain hours that I will be working each day or
is more "come in when you need to"?
The minimum expectation is that every student will work a full 40-hour
week, on a regular schedule. For example, you might start at 8:00 am,
work till 12:00, take a 30-minute lunch break, and then work 12:30-4:30.
Students who want their project to progress more rapidly are welcome
to put in additional hours as they see fit and in agreement with their
advisors. As you will discover, our research groups are extremely active
with most graduate students and post-doctoral fellows putting in additional
hours in the evening and on Saturday. At all times, safety is of paramount
concern and so the policy of never working alone in a laboratory is
rigorously enforced. The REU Program director encourages you to explicitly
discuss your exact working hours with your research advisor at your
first meeting.
4. Are there activities planned that are not work based?
We hope to schedule several social events - these will be posted on
the REU web site, (e.g., on the Calendar web page). There is also a
mandatory REU weekly meeting (see the calendar), required participation
in the Duquesne city-wide poster fair, and the end-of-the summer symposium.
For the most part, we leave the organizing of social events up to the
group. Pittsburgh has lots of nearby attractions, including water parks,
amusement parks, museums, professional baseball, rafting, and so on.
We encourage each member of the REU program to "organize" a group activity
for a different weekend. The activities of course will depend on what
the group is interested in doing.
5. I have a computer and I am hoping that I will be able to bring
it with me this summer and have a hookup in my dorm room that is separate
from the phoneline?
All dorm rooms are hard-wired
with EtherNet ports. We should have Pitt Computer Accounts for you
when you arrive. Thus, you will be able to connect to the Ethernet
directly from your room, bypassing the phone/modem.
6. What should I use for my 10-week mailing address?
See the Services link in FAQ 2 for the standard University answer for
students who will be in their dorm room for 2 semesters. Once a
room is assigned to you, you can use that service. However, a more
convenient alternative will be to use the following address:
Your Name
c/o Ms. Deb Hunt
Room 234 Chevron Science Center
Department of Chemsitry
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
You can either stop by Ms. Hunt's office and pick up your mail as
convenient, or request that it be put in the group mail box for your
research group. Due to the very limited nature of your stay, and
the fact that Ms. Hunt can keep your best interests in mind, we
recommend using the Chemistry address for necessary snail mail rather
than the standard one. Feel free to make your own choice.
7. When will I receive my stipend checks?
The stipend will be paid in three equal allotments, the last working
day of each month. As most of you will not be on campus the last
day of August, be sure that a valid mailing address is on file for you
before you depart at summer's end. The June and July checks can be
picked up from the payroll officer in CSC-234; be sure to bring a
picture ID. Direct deposit is not available for this summer
program.
8. What paperwork will I need to complete or bring with
me?
Ms. Deb Hunt, the coordinator for our REU program will have been in
contact with you requesting specific information that is required to be
able to issue your stipend check. You can send the information to
her (her address is in FAQ #6 above; omit your name, of course) or you
can contact her by e-mail, debhunt@pitt.edu
or by phone 412-624-8203 if necessary.
9. Can you provide me with travel directions?
See this web
site for travel directions.
Once
you arrive on campus, you can go directly to Litchfield Tower C (click
here to see a campus map showing the Towers) to check into your
room. Use either Forbes or
Fifth Avenue entrances, the main desk is just inside. Check in at the Main Desk (open 24 hours); you will receive
an information packet and a room assignment.
You can borrow a luggage cart for a $20 deposit (100% refunded
with the carts return). There
is a ramp at the corner of Bouquet & Fifth if you want to avoid
steps with the carts. We will leave a manila envelope with
miscellaneous information in it with the "check in" desk in
the Litchfield Towers - be sure to get it.
If
you are coming by air, when your arrive at the airport, proceed
to the “Ground
Transportation” area. Your
options to get to Pitt are:
A. Port Authority public bus service, 28X Airport Flyer, $2.50.
This stops at Forbes Ave. and Bouquet St., near the dorm.
For a schedule of times and stops, go to http://www.portauthority.org/ride/schedule.asp
and select Airport Flyer, inbound.
You must handle your own luggage on & off the shuttle.
B. Airlines Transportation Company (412) 471-8900 Shuttle,
$15.00 one way/every hour, to hotels in the University area.
The shuttle is marked “Oakland”.
You can get off at the Holiday Inn, but you will have to go
several blocks to the Litchfield Towers.
C. Taxicab, ~$40 from airport to Pitt campus.
You can call Peoples Cab at (412) 681-3131 or Yellow Cab at (412)
665-8100.
10. Are there other "maps" I would find useful?
for
the ID Center, click here
Soliders
and Sailors (parking garage is under the front lawn)
Litchfield
Towers
Chevron
Science Center (the Chemistry Building)
11. Anything special I need to know about Checkout?
Yes. Check out time is 1:00 pm on Saturday, 11 August 2001.
Also, Lost keys or a failure to return the room key before checking
out will cause your final stipend check to be withheld until you correct
the problem. These are Pitt dorm policies and are not set nor
controlled by the Chemistry Department REU program.