Transcript Slide 1

Getting a Summer Research
Internship in Science or
Engineering
Dr. Sumana Datta
Assistant Dean of Undergraduate
Research
Texas A&M University
Why do research? -- Practical Goals.
• Learn material in your major by hands-on work
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outside the classroom.
Develop a one-on-one mentoring relationship
with a professor.
Find out what you like and don’t like to do.
Improve your resume.
Get more informative letters of
recommendation for jobs, graduate or
professional school applications.
Find out more about what being a professional
in your area is like.
Why do research? -- Improve your
skills.
• Learn how to work in teams to
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accomplish a goal.
Learn how to explain and defend your
results.
Learn advanced technical skills.
Learn better problem solving skills.
Learn better time-management skills.
Why Summer Research?
• Concentrate on your research full-time.
• Meet and work with researchers at other
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institutions.
Try something completely different that might
depend on geography/location.
Develop additional contacts for jobs,
professional or graduate school.
Live and explore somewhere else for a summer.
“Test” a place you might want to go after
graduation.
First questions to ask yourself:
What do you want to do?
Where do you want to go?
Is there something you would never want to do?
Is there someplace you would never want to go?
What types of programs are
available?
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Colleges
Universities
Research Centers
Hospitals
Museums
Field work
Companies
National
International
What do most (but not all)
summer programs provide?
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Place to live
Food
Stipend, generally about $4000
Enrichment experiences-seminars,
workshops, tours, field trips.
Research internship of about 10 weeks.
Be sure to ask about:
• How they match you to a project or research
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advisor.
Health insurance/medical requirements.
Help with travel costs to and from the site.
Start and end dates.
Transportation and safety around the site late at
night or on weekends.
Availability of peer mentors.
Whether you will need to enroll for the summer.
Social or other extra-curricular activities offered.
Requirements for summer
programs
• Current undergraduate status.
• Most request sophomore or junior status.
• Coursework appropriate to your status and relevant to
the area of the summer internship.
Other requirements vary by program!
• Some require a minimum GPA.
• REU Programs-US citizens or permanent resident.
• Some target under-represented populations, women,
ethnic minorities or first generation/low income college
students.
Where and how do I find them?
• Google “Undergraduate Research Program” and the field you
are interested in (as globally or specifically as you want).
• Go to http://ugr.tamu.edu/ then Opportunities -> External
Opportunities-> Summer Research Opportunities.
• Go to http://ugr.tamu.edu/ then Opportunities -> External
Opportunities->International Opportunities.
• http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previo
us_issues/articles/2008_12_12/caredit.a0800181
• Is there someone specific you want to work with? Familiarize
yourself with their research and then contact them directly!
Science and Engineering
The NSF funds a variety of summer programs
around the country called REUs.
REUs are generally for students from OTHER
institutions (i.e. your chances of being
accepted to a Texas A&M REU is small).
Check out the Career Center
(HireAggies.com) for placement in
internships and co-ops.
Many non-REU programs also exist.
Science and Engineering
Some of the places you can go are:
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Caltech, Pasadena, California.
MIT, Cambridge, Boston.
Dartmoth, Hanover, New Hampshire.
Duke, Durham, North Carolina
Stanford University, Palo Alto, California
Jackson Labs, Bar Harbor, Maine.
Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
US Naval Research lab, Washington DC.
Georgia Tech, Atlanta, Georgia.
Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, Maryland.
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
National Institutes of Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colorado.
University of California,Berkeley, Berkeley, California.
University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, California.
Science and Engineering
SOME of the areas are:
• Nanotechnology
• Infectious disease
• Math
• Physics
• Oceanography/marine biology
• Geology/mining
• Watershed use/Environmental science
• Materials Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Robotics
• Radar/atmospheric sensing
• Evolution
• Molecular and Cellular Biology
• Biochemistry
• Bioinformatics/genomics
Public Policy for Aggies
Texas A&M has its own summer programs!
• Public Policy Internship Program in Washington,
D.C. (deadline Feb 11th)
– Non-profits
– Government agencies
– Think tanks
• Public Policy Internship
Program in Paris.
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(deadline Feb 11 )
– U.S. Commercial Service
International Summer Internships
• You do not always have to speak the local language.
Many of the top research institutions in Europe (for
example) use English as the “professional” language.
• But speaking the local language might help you in daily
life there!
• Check out the search engines or listings at the UGR
website under either International Opportunities or
Summer Research Opportunities -> National Science
Foundation-> International.
• Check out CDS through Career Center Office (language
proficiency required)
Examples of International REU
Programs
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Tropical biology/conservation in Costa Rica.
Chemistry in France, Italy, China and the UK.
Mathematics in Prague, Czech Republic.
Geology/environment on San Salvador.
Organic Chemistry in Bangkok, Thailand.
Nanotech/materials in Poland and Puerto Rico.
Physics in Paris, Japan or UK.
Look under “International Science and Engineering” on REU website.
CDS (www.cdsintl.org)
• Countries: Germany, Spain, Argentina
• Requirements:
– US Citizenship
– Two years of college-level Spanish or German
• You pay a fee to apply (~$700)
– No fee if you are not qualified.
– CDS handles work permits, interviews and placement.
• Most internships are paid.
• Application deadline Feb 1st!
• Information tomorrow Rudder 404 5-6:15 pm.
Companies/Foundations
• Google
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http://www.google.com/support/jobs/bin/static.py?page=students.html&sid=inter
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Microsoft
https://careers.microsoft.com/careers/EN/US/CollegeInternships.aspx
American Society of Magazine Editors
Sierra Club
AT&T
Boeing
Northrup-Grumman
Johnson and Johnson
Kodak
Lucent
Also check out for more options:
http://depts.washington.edu/eip/research.htm
http://www.urop.uci.edu/opportunities/frame_offcampus.html
International Students
• The Career Center (HireAggies.com) has a
section devoted to you!
– InternationalStudents4Hire.com
– Internships, externships, cooperative
education opportunities.
• Check your VISA restrictions-you may not
be able to work outside of TAMU.
What is the timeline?
• Application deadlines range from early February
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through March, but some are earlier.
Do NOT ask your professor to write you a letter
at the last minute—that almost guarantees that
the letter is not as good as you might wish.
• Many require a letter of recommendation and a
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short essay describing your interests or goals.
Some may require an official transcript.
How do I apply?
Application forms can generally be found
online at the program’s website.
Sometimes you may have to email or call the
contact person listed to receive an
application.
You may have to download, fill in and mail a
paper application—factor that into your
timeframe!
Continuing sources of information
• Undergraduate Research Listserv
http://ugr.tamu.edu/resources/undergraduateresearch-listserv.html
• Undergraduate Research webpage
http://ugr.tamu.edu/
Office of Proposal Development
Funding Opportunities → Funding Opportunities by
Category → Undergraduate Research
Opportunities
Need to take summer classes?
Try looking for a part-time research position here
at Texas A&M!
• Research for credit hours.
• Research for pay (if your professor has the
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funds).
You may be able to do the research during the
summer and pay for the credit hours in the fall.
How to find and approach a
professor
• Read their webpage first!
• Contact them early (at least before spring
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break).
Have a suggestion as to what part of their
research interests you the most.
Have a short resume with your contact
information, any previous experience, relevant
courses and references.
Try to meet them face-to-face rather than
emailing.
General Tips
• Start EARLY (now!).
• Prioritize applications by deadline and
effort required.
• Ask for letters from your professors now.
Don’t worry about asking for multiple
letters—it’s easy to edit once the letter is
written.
Questions?
Contact Info:
Office of Undergraduate Research
[email protected]
458-0039