May 31 – Aug 6, 2005
Welcome to Pitt’s REU Summer Undergraduate Program
Miscellaneous Info for Participants
Program dates: 9:00am, Monday, May 30 through 5:00 pm, Friday, August 5, 2005. The official start time of the program is Tuesday, May 31 (because Monday of the first week is a Federal Holiday), 9:00am in Chevron Science Center (Department of Chemistry), room 706. The official end time of the program is 5:00 pm on Friday, August 5, 2005.
Please plan to arrive on Sunday, May 29 OR Monday, May 30, 2005. Once you are accepted into the program, Ms. Deb Hunt will be your contact for information about travel arrangements, housing, and related details. If you should have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call her at (412) 624-8203 or email debhunt@pitt.edu. If you cannot get in touch with Ms. Hunt, then address your concerns to Prof. Grabowski (412-624-8632 or joeg@pitt.edu) and he will ensure they are answered.
Stipend: The $4000 stipend will be paid in 3 installments, at the end of June, July, and August. Your August paycheck will be mailed to you at the end of that month. Be sure we have a valid mailing address before departing the program.
Housing: The suites are located on the ?th floor of Brackenridge Hall (see the FAQ List on the REU web site for info and links related to housing as well as for campus maps). Please pick up your Welcome Packets at the lobby desk during check-in where you will receive your keys and room assignments. You will need to bring with you your own bedding including pillow, single size sheets, blankets and towels. The kitchen is not equipped with dishware or eating utensils, so you will need to bring those with you also. Janitorial services are not provided, so you will be responsible for keeping your suite clean.
Phones: You can set up your free account
for local calling privileges from your room phones by calling
1-800-445-6063 (9 am-midnight EST). This
will allow you to make local calls and Toll-Free 800 calls.
You must use your own phone cards for any other calls.
When you call, you must have ready:
University,
dorm, room #, phone #
Social
Security Number
Permanent
Home address
They may ask for your student number as well so have your ID Cards
ready
ID Card: You must go to the Panther Service Center located in the main lobby of the Towers (from 5th Avenue, go up the steps in front of the Towers and enter through the revolving door. The Panther Service Center is right there on the left) to get your Student ID Card. Take one form of photo ID with you! Identify yourself as part of the REU Summer Undergraduate Program run by the Chemistry Department. The Hours for the ID Center are Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m (excluding holidays). This card gives you access to the libraries, computer labs, shuttle bus transportation, , and the Trees Hall physical recreation facility.
Summer Research Students who are visiting from other schools will receive an official gold university trainee temporary ID that says REU and Chemistry at the bottom. It will have the student's picture and ID number on it. The official gold card is recognizable by campus security, is scanable, and will ensure that the students have complete, easy access to: dorm rooms, computer labs, libraries, campus shuttle buses, and both Trees and Bellefield athletic facilities. If the gold ID is not scanable at any of the above facilities, it is probably just a glitch in the scanning strip; go to Panther Central and the problem will be taken care of.
Meals: A partial meal stipend will be provided ($200) to help tide you over until you receive your first pay check. Pick up your check from Ms. Deb Hunt on the first day of the program.
Bus Transportation: Your ID card will allow you to ride the campus shuttle bus. (Stay tuned for changes in this area.)
Health Insurance: This is not provided for by the REU program. If you are not already covered by an insurance plan, the University of Pittsburgh Student Health Service starts at $?? for a general visit, on upwards for specific services like X-rays, lab work, injections, or allergy shots. (Please note, these fees are not set by us and so they are subject to change at anytime; undoubtedly if they change, they will go up.)
Parking: Please be aware that parking spaces near the University are in short supply. We recommend that you not bring your car; parking arrangements are your responsibility. Public transportation is excellent and you will find that you can get all around town very conveniently by using the municipal bus system. (Stay tuned for changes in this area.)
Computer Accounts: Stop by and see Deb Hunt in the main office (Room 107) for your Pitt computer account information. This will help you to access the library systems that you will use in your research. You can log in using this password. Then you can go to http://accounts.pitt.edu, login using this user name and password, and then there will be an option where you can change the password to something of your own choice