Early Research Experience in E-Term




Updated May 8, 2025.
The 2025 EREE summer program is ready to start on May 28th!
The Early Research Experience in E Term (EREE) program offers an in-person, on-campus, full-time first research experience to interested undergraduate students who have not yet had an authentic research experience at the college level. The Office of Undergraduate Studies will provide current first and second-year students an initial immersive research experience with a WPI faculty mentor. The goal of this program is to create pathways to deep and meaningful research experiences in STEM fields for undergraduate students.
2025 Dates:
- Faculty proposals due January 24
- Student application opens February 1 and closes March 1 at 11:59pm
- Faculty and students notified of selections at the earliest March 15, at the latest May 7
- Program starts with Summer Research Orientation, Wednesday, May 28th, 10am - 12pm, UH 500
- Professional development for students is Wednesday mornings, June 4th - July 30th, 9-11am, UH 420
- Program ends and Summer Undergraduate Research Showcase on Thursday, July 31, 2-4pm, Innovation Studio 2nd Floor
More about EREE
This research experience provides students with the following:
- The opportunity to participate in summer research early in their academic career
- A paid research experience ($4,500 over 10 weeks)
- Close mentoring with a faculty member and graduate mentor
- Preparation for additional research opportunities at WPI and beyond
- Information and advice about future graduate research and career opportunities
- Weekly professional development workshops
Program details:
- Undergraduate students do a full-time, in-person, on-campus educational research position
- The 2025 Summer program will be held in-person in labs on the WPI campus
- The program runs during E1 and E2 terms
- Students attend weekly professional development workshops
- Students will showcase their work in a presentation at the end of the summer on July 31, 2025, at the Summer Research Showcase
- It is strongly recommended that students do not enroll in IQP, MQP, or other classes at the same time as EREE research, or hold a second day-job or summer-day-job
Housing
- Undergraduate students are expected to secure their own housing during the summer
- However, we have very limited funds to provide a housing subsidy for need-based students.
- Requesting a housing subsidy will not affect a student’s chances of being selected for the program.
Who should apply?
- All current first or second-year students (or rising sophomores and rising juniors) interested in their first research experience
EREE selection and matching process:
- Faculty submit a project of a size and scope that is suitable for a student's first research experience
- Interested students browse the list of available projects – (list of projects coming soon!)
- Students looking for a paid summer research experience submit an application and indicate three (3) projects of interest
- EREE Steering Committee makes a faculty-student match
Student application process
- Student application available the week of February 1, 2025.
- Student applications are due March 1, 2025 by 11:59pm ET.
- Students should prepare these things before starting the application process:
- Choose three (3) projects of interest from the listing of Project Opportunities. Pay close attention to the project numbers, as you will need these numbers for your application!
- Write a resume – Need help? Contact the CDC for a virtual resume-writing appointment!
- An official or unofficial academic WPI transcript - Need help? Instructions here.
- Agree to participate in the weekly professional development workshops, the Summer Professional Development Series for Undergraduates (SPuDS), weekly throughout the program on Wednesday mornings
- Agree to prepare and present a poster at the Summer Undergraduate Research Showcase on July 31, 2025
- Answer this reflection question:
- Each student brings a diverse set of skills and experiences (technical and non-technical) to a research group. Please describe three skills that you can bring to a new research group and three skills that you would like to learn or improve upon through a research experience. (Please limit your response to 300 words)
- NO letters of recommendation are needed.




Student Project

Empowering 5G by Enhancing Network Security and Performance
A student team used an open-source framework to simulate 5G environments to prepare for future testing of scenarios like jamming attacks on networks.
Faculty process
The most successful faculty proposals describe a project appropriate for a student who has no prior experience with scientific research.
Faculty mentors will receive $400 toward their professional development fund.
Faculty Expectations Include:
- Provide students with an in-person authentic research experience during the E1 and E2 terms
- Mentor students in their academic and career goals
- Support student’s participation in professional development workshops & programming
- Coach students through the process of presenting academic research
- Participate in the EREE program Faculty Mentor activities:
- Attend mentor training prior to program start
- Attend the Summer Undergraduate Research Showcase
- Complete the faculty survey afterward
Have Questions?
Contact the EREE Program Director, Professor Jessica Rosewitz at...