Department of Psychology professor Laura Wagner has co-edited a new journal issue about the impact of federal funding cuts on undergraduate research experiences in the sciences.

The 2026 issue of Perspectives on Undergraduate Research & Mentoring (PURM) features articles from researchers at universities where National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs recently lost government grant support or are at risk of doing so. The pieces discuss how these programs have historically benefited scientific fields, as well as potential risks if they disappear.

“Decades of evidence demonstrate the importance of undergraduate experiences on student retention, professional identity formation, skill building, network growth and other factors critical to scientists’ development,” Wagner and co-editor Claudia Scholtz, of the University of Virginia, wrote in an opening letter to the journal issue, which was published in August 2026.

“It is at the undergraduate level where we will see the first signs of the generational impact these funding cuts will have.”

Aiming to broaden participation in the STEM workforce, the NSF launched its REU initiative in 1987, the editors noted. Funding has historically supported undergraduate involvement in full-time, hands-on research apprenticeships, where students not only build work experience but also receive valuable faculty and peer mentoring. 

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