Summer 2008 Research Opportunities for Carleton Students
OPPORTUNITIES ELSEWHERE
Click HERE for more information about US and international programs.OPPORTUNITIES AT CARLETON
At Carleton, hiring for 40-50 summer student-faculty research positions in the sciences is carried out at the level of the department or individual faculty member. Please read below about hiring procedures and timelines for each department. You need to start thinking about all this in January, as soon as you return winter term. The college-wide research stipend for students who work ten weeks full time in summer 2008 is $4,200.NEED FUNDING FOR YOUR RESEARCH?
The Dean of the College Office has limited funds to support student research and travel to research conferences. Please talk to Associate Dean Liz Ciner for more information.Department of Biology
Summer Research in Biology
A pamplet designed to help you find a program, apply and make the most of your research experience (Acrobat (PDF) 245kB Jan14 08).
Students interested in conducting research at Carleton are encouraged to contact individual faculty members (the faculty web pages discuss the research projects in more detail). Research in the department occurs throughout the year, and work started during the academic year is often continued in the summer months.
Department of Physics & Astronomy
Summer Research in Physics & Astronomy
There are two ways in which students get selected to do research in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. The first way involves taking a special project course with a faculty member during the academic year. This two or three credit course is a "dependent" study that involves the student in some research project in which the faculty member is interested. Many times, such experiences will lead directly to a summer internship. Also, in the middle of February, the department will post summer internships that are available on our web site. If you are interested in any of them, talk directly to the faculty involved.
You can get a sense of the research projects available by going to the Physics & Astronomy Department home page and selecting Student Resources…Research at Carleton…Special Project Ideas. You are also encouraged to check out the web pages of individual faculty in the department. The department also routinely posts information on summer research positions elsewhere. Please contact Cindy Blaha ( cblaha@carleton.edu, x 4429) if you have questions.
Department of Chemistry
Summer research in the Chemistry Department
In late January at a Friday department seminar (3:30-4:30 pm), Chemistry Department faculty will present the available summer 2008 projects. Each summer, the Chemistry department hires 10-20 students for 10 weeks of full-time work, mentored by 4-7 faculty. Students are typically hired after their sophomore and junior years, though a small number of students just finishing their first year have been hired. All students are invited and urged to attend the January seminar to learn about the research opportunities available as well as the process for applying to participate in the Chemistry summer research program.
Applications for 2008 summer positions in Chemistry are due in mid-February, offers for summer positions will be made in late Februrary, and final decisions from students are expected by end of winter term. The Chemistry Department has a coordinated department process for reviewing applications and makings research position offers to students. If you are interested in a Chemistry summer position, please plan to talk to faculty with projects of interest- most faculty require a brief 1-on-1 meeting with students prior to the application deadline. On the front of the Chemistry Department web page, look for an icon on the left side titled something like "Summer 2008 Research Opportunities".
The Chemistry Department always posts information about summer research opportunities in Chemistry elsewhere. If you have more questions, please contact Chemistry Prof. Steve Drew (sdrew@carleton.edu or x 4032).
Department of Geology
Summer Research in Geology
The Geology Department has a meeting each year in January aimed at juniors and sophomores about "Summer Opportunities." The range of opportunities includes field camps, REU programs, Keck consortium research programs, working-with-alum possibilities, and working with faculty members. The faculty try to be clear at the time of this meeting about which projects will be undertaken in the upcoming summer and how students might be involved. It's a good idea for students interested in summer work in Geology to come to this meeting.
As alums or others contact the Geology Department about summer opportunities, students who are majors are emailed with information. Opportunites that are advertised by paper flier are displayed along the south wall of the Geology Museum (Mudd 71) on a series of clipboards.
Students can also apply to the Geology Department for money to cover field and lab expenses for research projects, including comps. Some of these research projects dovetail nicely with faculty research agendas and others don't.
For positions working with individual Carleton faculty, the Geology Department encourages students to contact individual faculty if you have interest. To some extent, faculty also reach out to students. In general, the Geology Department probably has fewer summer students working directly with faculty than in the other science departments. Most if not all of our rising seniors do some kind of geological research in the summer; in most cases this research is independent of Carleton faculty.
If you have questions, contact any Geology faculty member or the Geology Department Chair. For more information, check out the Geology Department web page.
Department of Computer Science
Computer Science Department web page
Once summer funding for students is secured in late February, the department e-mails majors and former students from relevant courses, inviting them to apply for a summer position. The best way to make sure you receive this information is to visit here to view the Carleton Sentinel, the Computer Science department's e-mail newsletter. The department is also happy to hear from students who read about opportunities on this web site. If you have questions, please contact the Computer Science Department Chair, Jeff Ondich (x4364, jondich@carleton.edu). Please check out the CS department web page for more information about the CS faculty and their interests.
Department of Psychology
Psychology Department web page for student job listings
Psychology faculty who apply for funds to support undergraduates in summer research individually solicit applicants when they have funds available. Below are examples of such opportunities. For more information about the Department faculty and their interests, please check out the Psychology Department web page.
Prof. Julie Neiworth: She has funds available to hire 2 - 3 students each summer from 2006 - 2009 to collaborate on research projects with monkeys and with children aged 3 - 7 (both normally developing and autistic children). Background that is needed includes Psych 110, a laboratory course in psychology or biology involving animals, and a keen interest in doing research in a team setting. Prior primate experience gives applicants an advantage. Please contact Julie at jneiwort@carleton.edu to schedule an interview. A decision for the positions will be made by mid-March, 2007. In addition, during the school year, Prof. Neiworth has a number of student work jobs related to research and monkey care. She regularly announces such job openings on the Psychology Department's job listings website. Learn more about Prof. Neiworth and her work.
Research Opportunities Elsewhere
Most departments maintain their own listings of summer research programs elsewhere that are appropriate for specific disciplines. Please check department web pages and weekly newsletters! In addition, below are several sites of general interest.
National Science Foundation REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) sites. Applicants must be US citizens or permanents residents of the US or its possessions.
Summer Research at Big Ten Institutions through the SROP program. Students of color, first-generation college students, and underrepresented minorities are especially encouraged to apply. Applications accepted Nov. 5, 2007 to Feb. 10, 2008. Apply early to enhance chances of getting a position.
Summer Research at Howard Hughes Medical Institute's new Janelia Farm facility. Up to eight full-time undergraduate positions are available for summer 2008. Housing is provided on campus, plus travel expenses and a $4,500 stipend. HHMI is looking for highly talented students with interest and background in science, engineering, and math to contribute in small research groups that are explorating fundamental biomedical questions in a highly collaborative, interdisciplinary culture. Janelia Farm is located in Ashburn, Virginia. The $500 million campus opened in October 2006. Applications are due online on Feb. 1, 2008.
Summer Research at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI). WHOI has summer 2008 fellowships for students, including awards for students from groups underrepresented in science fields. Students do research for 10-12 weeks and get paid $432/week plus a travel and housing allowance. You must have completed your junior or senior year by June 2008 to be eligible for a Student Research Fellowship (international students welcome). Minority applicants can apply after completing one year of college by June 2008 and must be US citizens or permanent residents. Preference is given to students studying in any of the fields of science or engineering including but not limited to the fields of biology, chemistry, engineering, geology, geophysics, mathematics, meteorology, physics, oceanography, and marine policy. Students must have at least a tentative interest in the ocean sciences, oceanographic engineering, mathematics, or marine policy. Applications are due Feb. 15, 2008.
The NASA Motivating Undergraduates in Science and Technology (MUST) Program. For students who are US citizens who are rising first-year, sophomores and juniors pursuing a degree in science or math and an overall GPA of at least 3.0. The program is open to all students and is particularly focused on engaging students from underserved and underrepresented groups to enter STEM fields (Women, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans and persons with disabilities). The MUST Program will support approximately 100 undergraduate students with a one-year competitive scholarship of up to one-half of tuition, not to exceed $10,000. Program participants will also receive a $5,000 stipend to participate in a summer research experience at a NASA center. Students will benefit year-round from tutoring, lecture series and mentoring from STEM faculty and peers. The scholarships and internships will be renewable for up to three years, provided the students continue to meet the academic requirements. Applications are due Feb. 1, 2008.
The Amgen Foundation has a wonderful program that provides hundreds of undergraduates the chance to do summer research at one of ten leading research universities. To apply you must be a US citizen or permanent resident, a college sophomore or junior, have a GPA of 3.2 or higher, and be interested in a Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. in science. Application processes vary with campus, but most are due in early-med February 2008. For more information, please check out the Amgen web site.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) HS-STEM Summer Internship Program. This program provides 10-week summer internships at federal research facilities for undergraduate students majoring in homeland security related science, technology, engineering and mathematics (HS-STEM) disciplines. You must be a full-time Carleton student, have a cummulative GPA of 3.30 or higher, be a US citizen, and have junior or senior class status as of fall 2008 to be eligible. Students receive a $500/week stipend and travel reimbursement. The deadline for submitting an application is December 14, 2007.