Frequently Asked Questions
About REU Programs at Pitt

Last Updated:   05/23/2005

0.  I realize that there is lots of great info on this page - but are there other sources of info as well?  Pitt's Office of Experiential Learning (OEL) which facilitates REU programs across the campus, maintains an extensive web site with lots of relevant information.  You'll certainly want to check out this web site:  http://www.pitt.edu/~urop/reu/index.htm.

1. When does it start and end?

This exact information can usually be found on the web site (REU Home page and/or the REU calendar). 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 on the 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 a University of Pittsburgh dorm.  For the Summer of 2005, our students will be housed in Brackenridge Hall (9th floor).  The Summers of 2004, 2003, & 2002 we also used Brackenridge Hall and the Summer of 2001 we used Litchfield Towers.

• Info about University Housing in General
• Detailed info about Brackenridge Hall
• Detailed info about Residence Services
• Map showing Brackenridge Hall
  (Note:  See FAQ #6 for hints about mail.)

Brackenridge Hall is within easy walking distance of the Chemistry Building.  (See FAQ #10 for various maps.)  

Summer of 2005:  Some specifics about Brackenridge Hall follow.  Please pick up your Keys and Welcome Packets at the Panther Central in the Lobby of the Towers (open 24/7; right next to Brackenridge Hall) during check-in where you will receive your keys and room assignments.  When you collect your keys and welcome packet, ask where you can "park" during unloading, if you need that info.  The keys for your room will open the entrance door to your suite as well as the door to your bedroom.  The bedrooms are furnished with a chest of drawers, single bed and desk and have ample closet space.  The common area has a kitchen with a small dorm size refrigerator, microwave and sink.  All rooms within the suite have ceiling fans but are not air conditioned.  Each bedroom has bathroom facilities with a sink, shower and toilet.  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.

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; in the past, we have organized a Pirates game and a campus-wide picnic as early summer events). There is also a mandatory REU weekly meeting (see the calendar), required participation in the Duquesne city-wide poster fair and the Ethics Forum, 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 will 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.   Once on campus, call the Technology Help Desk (4-HELP) at any time to receive help on how to hook up your computer.

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 107 Chevron Science Center
     Department of Chemistry
     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.

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 412-624-7158 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 Brackenridge Hall (click here to see a campus map showing Brackenridge Hall) to check into your room.  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).  We will leave a manila envelope with miscellaneous information in it with the "check in" desk - 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, about $2.75 one-way.  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/pgSchedules.asp and select 28X-Airport Flyer, inbound under Search Option 2.  You must handle your own luggage on & off the shuttle.

B.  Airlines Transportation Company (412) 472-3180 Shuttle, $22.00 one way/every hour, to hotels in the University area.  The shuttle is marked “Express Shuttle”.  You can get off at the Holiday Inn, but you will have to walk several blocks to Brackenridge Hall.

C.  Taxicab, ~$40 from airport to Pitt campus.  You can call Peoples Cab at (412) 441-3200 or Yellow Cab at (412) 321-8100.

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)
     Chevron Science Center (the Chemistry Building)
     Brackenridge Hall (dorm)

11.  Anything special I need to know about Checkout?

Yes.  Check out time is 11:00 am on Saturday, 6 August 2005.

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.

12.  Is there a packet of Welcome Information that I should expect to receive as part of this program?

     a.  Welcome Info (2 page, check-in/getting started info; in pdf format).

13.  Are any atheletic facilities available for REU students to use?

Yes.  Because the athletic facilities across campus are all requiring  students to swipe their IDs for admission, the temporary/conference IDs that the Summer REU students use will not work at any of them. However Marilyn Ross of the Intramurals & Rec Department  has agreed that if we provide her with a list of students and a copy of the ID card (generic) that they are using, she will instruct the security staff at Trees Hall to admit the students.  The bottom line is the summer REU participants are not considered to be "students" and therefore are only entitled to use the one facility through this special arrangement.  Trees has aquatics, weight rooms, racquetball courts, basketball, volleyball (http://www.education.pitt.edu/intramurals/index.html).

14.  I want to bring a car, what can you tell me about parking on campus?

     Students living in the residence halls can purchase Parking Permits for the Soldiers and Sailors garage.  The cost is $5 per day M-F and free on weekends (i.e., approximately $250 for the 10 weeks of the REU program).  When you arrive on campus, you should ultimately park in the Solidiers and Sailors garage, paying cash at a rate of $7/day (the parking office is closed weekends and holidays).  On Tuesday, 5/31/05, you can go to the parking office located on the first floor of Brackrenridge Hall (your dorm) to make arrangements to pay for your parking tag for the 10-week program.  The parking office will need the make, model and license plate number of your car (send that info to Deb Hunt asap so she can alert the parking office of your arrival).  Interested students should contact Deb Hunt (debhunt@pitt.edu).