On-Campus Opportunities for Students

The Office of Undergraduate Research provides students with two fellowship opportunities: the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship and the Oberlin College Research Fellowship. The two-year “Mellon” fellowship includes, on an annual basis, a $3,000 stipend for full-time summer work; a $1600 stipend for part-time work during the academic year; up to three credit hours each semester for project research; and, during the pursuit of the Ph.D., up to $10,000 repayment of Stafford and Perkins undergraduate student loans. The two-year “college research fellowship” includes, on an annual basis, a $3,500 summer stipend for full-time research. All figures noted are before taxes.

Students may also seek research opportunities, for payment or credit, in their major by way of their department or program chair. Faculty are eligible to apply for internal funding for research assistants, and students should begin to enquire about such opportunities no later than early February. Students in the natural sciences and mathematics division in particular should speak with their advisors about assistantships sponsored by external grants.

Dozens of courses in the natural sciences and mathematics division entail conducting lab research and fieldwork. Please see the course catalog for more details. In many disciplines, in the form of senior honors, students are able to pursue individual research projects. There are also many courses in the divisions of the arts and humanities and social sciences that involve fieldwork and research opportunities, including: Archeological Studies 200 & 250: Archeological Field Courses; Comparative American Studies 300 & 301: Situated Research; Environmental Studies 311: Seminar in Environmental Justice; London Program 913: Urban Ethnographic Research; Politics 205: Political Research and Analysis; Politics 411: Practicum in Applied Research; Politics 422: Projects in Electoral Politics; and Psychology 401: Research Discussion Group.

Off-Campus Opportunities for Students

As noted at the National Science Foundation (NSF) web site, the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program “supports active research participation by undergraduate students in any of the areas of research funded by the National Science Foundation.” REU projects involve students who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States or its possessions in meaningful ways in ongoing research programs. As an NSF program, REU programs cover the natural sciences and mathematics, and include projects in the social, behavioral, and economic sciences. Students should consult the directory of active REU sites, and apply directly to REU sites. Students may not apply to NSF to participate in REU activities.

The UNCF/Merck Science Initiative provides opportunities in the biological and chemical sciences for African American students throughout the country. The application deadline is mid-December each year.

The UNCF/Merck Science Initiative provides opportunities in the biological and chemical sciences for African American students throughout the country. The application deadline is mid-December each year.

In1993, the Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/ Sloan-Kettering Gateways To The Laboratory Summer Program became the first program in the country to establish a summer program for underrepresented minority and disadvantaged college students who wish to pursue the combined MD-PhD degree. The deadline for this application is February 1.

http://www.the-aps.org/education/ugsrf/SumResLINKs.htm -- a digest

http://www.asm.org/Education/index.asp?bid=4316

http://www.aapm.org/education/SUFP/

http://www.aspb.org/education/undergrad.cfm

http://www.cofc.edu/~nuclear/nukess.html

http://www.apa.org/science/ssf.html

http://www.americanbarfoundation.org/fellowships/
Call_for_Diversity_Undergraduate_Research_Fellows.htm

The Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine provides a wide variety of summer research opportunities for undergraduate students interested in careers in medicine or biomedical research. Participants in this program work in an active research laboratory under the guidance of a faculty member. The program is deliberately flexible, so that students may combine work with other educational experiences. The goal of the program is to expose students to the challenges, excitement and satisfaction of research. Applications are due February 1.

Oberlin students should also check the Office of Sponsored Programs Blackboard site, which provides a list of research opportunities, on-campus and off-campus, under the Student grants link. (Students need to be logged in to Blackboard to access this site.)