2019 REU Program Logistics (updated March 25, 2019).

Travel:

(1) You should make your travel arrangements as soon as possible if flying. If you are flying, you will be arriving at the Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport, then taking a Groome Transportation shuttle (phone number 706-612-1155) directly to the destination of University of Georgia (UGA) Georgia Center. You should reserve your flight and shuttle tickets at your earliest convenience. After arriving at UGA Georgia Center, please walk to the check-in place of Myers hall (a short walk). REU coordinator will be there to help you check in and settle down. If you are driving to UGA, your destination will be Myers Hall at 1055 S. Lumpkin Street, Athens, Ga 30609. You will pick up your visitor parking permit at check-in from the REU coordinator. Please keep all receipts (record milage if driving) for traveling, if you wish to be reimbursed. For participants who are flying, you have a total travel allowance of $250 for both coming and going. For participants who are driving, you have a total travel allowance of $150 for both coming and going.

(2) Arrival time is Monday, May 20, 2019, 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Check out day is Saturday, July 27. On Monday, May 20, 2019, program coordinators will be waiting for you in the Myers hall lobby between 3-5 pm to help you check in. Please arrange your travel so that you arrive between 3-5 pm on May 21. Late check-in needs to be discussed with and approved by the program director. We have a UGA campus map for your reference. You will have a welcoming dinner after you check in.

 

Parking:

If you are driving to UGA and need a parking permit for the duration of the program, we will reserve one for you. Your parking space is located near your dorm.

 

Housing:

You will be staying at Mary London hall (next to your check-in place) as part of UGA. You will share the room with another REU participant. There will be a total of 6 REU programs in the summer at UGA. All of them will be housed in Mary London Hall. You will meet a lot of fellow REU participants here. A description of Payne Hall and a typical room with virtual tour can be found here.  If you are driving, you will have a summer visitor parking permit. Guidelines for living in this newly refurbished dormitory will be provided to you upon your arrival. You are expected to abide by these guidelines. Bring towels and sheets (80” twin) or be prepared to purchase them at a local supermarket on the arrival day. There is a common kitchen area in the building, however, you need to bring or purchase your own cookware and dinnerware. Your room does not have a refrigerator.

 

Dining:

For dining during the summer, you will have three options. First, you have a kitchen on the first floor of Mary London Hall with stove, sink, and microwave. If you need a small refrigerator, we will take you to a local supermarket to purchase one. Second, you can purchase UGA food service summer meal plan here when summer comes. Third, Mary London Hall is close to both the Five Points Area and Athens Downtown, which have a variety of excellent and affordable restaurants. For more information, please refer to popular dining websites, such as Tripadvisor and Yelp.

 

Personal Finance:

You will receive $5,000 stipend in four $1,250 checks. The first check will be paid two weeks after your arrival per UGA’s policy. The other three checks will follow every two weeks. Please make sure you have sufficient funds for living cost before the first check. For checks deposits and ATMs, Wachovia, SouthTrust, SunTrust, and Bank of America have ATM machines on the Tate plaza adjacent to the UGA bookstore. There is also an ATM located in Russell Hall as well as the Ramsey Center. The $5,000 stipend you receive is pre-tax, however you will not receive a W-2 form from UGA because you are not a UGA employee, please report the stipend as income on your annual tax return.

 

Student IDs: 

You will receive your summer UGA student ID. The ID card can be used for Bulldawg Bucks for doing laundry, eating in dining halls and purchasing from vending machines. You can also use the student ID to ride the campus buses for free. You can activate your ID card with Bulldawg Bucks near the check in desk of Myers. You have wireless internet in your rooms. All you need is your ID card and associated UGA MyID to access.

 

Gym: 

Your temporary UGA student ID will allow you to access the UGA Ramsey student (http://www.recsports.uga.edu) center with a small membership fee. This massive facility encompasses 420,000 square feet — the equivalent of 5.5 acres of building — and the variety offered is as vast as the area covered. Five gymnasia, three swimming pools, three multipurpose rooms, a climbing wall, 10 racquetball courts, two international squash courts, a strength and conditioning room, an one-eighth-mile jogging track, an outdoor equipment rental room and an outdoor resource center are all available under one roof.

 

Attire:

Proper lab attire: safety goggles (your hosting labs will provide them), a shirt that covers the stomach and lower back as well as the upper arms, long pants, shoes that completely cover the foot. Dress code for research symposiums: business casual. For clothes outside lab, please note that the average temperature of Athens, Georgia in May, June and July is between 80 and 90 F, average raining days are approximately 10 per month.

 

Health Insurance:

It is the responsibility of the individual student to have their own health insurance. Neither UGA nor NSF provides insurance for participants in the REU program.

 

Tax of REU stipend: