Some details about the DIMACS-DIMATIA REU
Five students from Prague will be participating in our REU, and in return, five of our REU participants will spend two and a half weeks in Prague. There they will participate in DIMATIA workshops, attend a special REU lecture series, and experience Czech culture.
The application process for the DIMACS-DIMATIA REU is no different than the application process for the DIMACS REU. Just indicate on your application if you wish to be considered for the Prague trip. A good knowledge of combinatorics and/or graph theory is beneficial to understanding the DIMATIA workshops; thus, students with this background will be given priority. Note that the Prague program is entirely optional and only a few are accepted. You may be accepted for the REU progam but not for the Prague program. We also accept to the REU program many who indicate that they do not want to be considered for the Prague option.
We will make all necessary travel arrangements for the trip to Prague, but each person is responsible for acquiring their passport if they do not already have one. For the participants who are travelling to Prague, the REU will be extended by two weeks (seven and a half weeks will be spent at Rutgers, two and a half weeks will be spent in Prague), ending sometime in the first week of August. Participants traveling to Prague must move completely out of their housing here at Rutgers before leaving for Prague. If students wish to remain in Prague after the end of the program, or travel to other spots in Europe, we will make arrangements for the return flight from Europe, but after the REU is complete, you are on your own.
Passport:
You are expected to obtain a valid passport. If you do not already have one you should apply for one as soon as you are accepted into the program. Information on obtaining a passprt can be obtained from the U.S. Passport Service.
Health insurance:
You are expected to have your own health insurance, this includes insurance during your trip to Prague. There are a few options for coverage during the trip, it is your responsibility to ensure that you are covered:
- You should check with your existing health insurance coverage to see if your policy has provisions for international travel or if there is a temporary expanded coverage you can add to your existing policy to cover you during this trip.
- You should check with your home institution to see if they offer a policy for their students travelling abroad.
- You can buy coverage from an insurance company. We are
aware of the following two companies (this is not an endorsement of either
company, just a pointer to useful information):
Council Travel: http://www.counciltravel.com/
(This is the organization that provides the International Student ID cards.)
HTH Worldwide Insurance Services: http://www.hthstudents.com/
Obviously you need to know if you are covered for medical treatment abroad, but you should also find out about deductibles and if you are covered for transportation to the hospital, medical evacuation back to the U.S., or repatriation.
