What is REPL?

REPL (Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Programming Languages) is a summer program designed to expose students to research in programming languages and prepare them for graduate study in the field. Over the course of 10 weeks, REPL participants will conduct research with faculty and graduate students from PLClub, Penn’s research group in programming languages. Students will also attend PLClub+: a series of activities, seminars, and workshops intended to give them the tools they need to succeed in programming languages research.

Housing, travel, and a $7,000 stipend are provided for participants. Our objectives in REPL are the following:

  1. Engage students in programming languages research
  2. Teach students the prerequisites for research in programming languages
  3. Expose students to ongoing research trends in programming languages
  4. Teach students how to read and analyze research papers

Who should apply to REPL?

Our focus is to provide these opportunities to those underrepresented in the programming languages research community. Between 2012-2018, the Computing Research Association (CRA) Taulbee Survey shows only 4.9% of PhD students in computer science who study programming languages are domestic underrepresented students. These include citizens and permanent residents of the US whose race/ethnicity are Native American, Alaskan Native, Black/African American, Hispanic, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. The same survey also shows that amongst all PhD student respondents in programming languages, only 10% are women. To our knowledge, REPL is the first REU (NSF or otherwise) designed for underrepresented students and whose focus is programming languages.

A student with any of the following traits is especially encouraged to apply:

  • Underrepresented in programming languages research i.e. Gender Minorities, Native Americans, Native Alaskans/Hawaiians, African Americans, Hispanics, or Pacific Islanders.
  • Sophomore or Junior undergraduate majoring in Mathematics or Computer Science
  • Interest in a PhD in Computer Science

When is REPL?

REPL takes place over 10 weeks in the summer, exact timing subject to on-campus housing availability. Start date is approximately May 30th, end date is approximately August 4th.

Sponsors

We’re grateful for the support of the NSF and Jane Street which make REPL possible.