2018 APL NASA Intern Program

The Space Exploration Sector of The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU APL) in Laurel, MD, is now accepting applications for the APL NASA Intern Program. Rising sophomores through Ph.D. students as of fall 2018 who are selected will contribute to NASA-related missions and research work. Talks by key mission engineers and scientists, along with tours of APL and other activities, will be provided. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, be in high academic standing (3.0 GPA or higher), and have successfully passed a background check. Application opens December 15, 2017 and applications are due by March 30th, 2018; however, selections are made on a continuous basis, so interested students should apply as early as possible. For more information, please visit:

http://www.jhuapl.edu/NASAIntern/

Facing Anxiety

Whether or not you have issues with anxiety, or whether these get in the way of your studies, you might want to check out this article from the Chronicle of Higher Education.  It begins:

Anxiety eclipses depression among college students, and the number who say it’s overwhelming them is on the rise. Campus counseling centers confront many challenges in trying to serve students, not the least of which is that mental health still has a stigma on campuses.

It’s worth educating yourself about this condition, because you probably know many people who have it – whether you know it or not.

Many students have undiagnosed problems with anxiety or other mental health matters.  If you are concerned about anxiety and other issues in your life, a couple of good resources for you are:

Comments are always welcome on this post, and any others.

Research opportunities with the NAC

The National Radio Astronomy Consortium (NAC) is a competitive program for undergraduate students (1st-4th year) who are U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or are enrolled in an accredited U.S. undergraduate program (including community college). The NAC program is intended to increase the number of women and underrepresented minority students entering, and remaining in, STEM areas that support the field of astronomy (e.g., science, engineering, computing, EPO, and more), by providing research experiences, long-term mentoring, and cohort support. Summer research experiences range from 8-12 weeks, and take place at one of the NAC partner sites. For more information, see go.nrao.edu/nac.

Highlights of the program include:
· Summer, and extended, research experience
· In 2018, NAC sites will include NRAO-Charlottesville, NRAO-Socorro, Princeton University, Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
· Summer stipend, and travel assistance
· Long-term mentoring
· Academic and professional development
· Year-round, monthly virtual ‘hangouts’ to maintain peer support and continue professional development
· Weekly cohort meetings during summer
· Participation in American Astronomical Society winter meeting
· Participation in annual NAC Workshop at Howard University
· Opportunities to present research to prominent members of professional societies, universities, and governmental agencies

You should use the portal at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. Please carefully read the instructions about the application process.  The deadline is February 1, 2018.

Summer Undergraduate Research at Cornell

Here is an email I recently received.

 

The Department of Astronomy of Cornell University is pleased to announce its 2018 Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program.  Details are at http://astro.cornell.edu/specialprograms/reu/.

Students will work on individual research projects with Cornell faculty and research staff on a wide range of topics in planetary science, astronomical instrumentation, astrophysics, general relativity and cosmology. In addition to conducting individual research projects, students will also participate in a series of activities including lectures, roundtables and workshops. Students interested in computer science and engineering are also encouraged to apply.

For each participant, a stipend of $5,000 will be provided for the ten week session, plus up to $1,500 for housing and meals. The program will also provide reasonable support for travel to a professional meeting to present scientific results. Program dates are June 1 to August 9 (but participation may be adjusted for conflict with academic schedules). Undergraduate students who will graduate after January 2019 and who are US citizens or permanent residents may apply. Students must have completed at least one year of undergraduate academic training by June 2017. Eight Research Assistantships will be available.

To view the research projects and to apply, please visit the above link.

Completed applications AND supporting materials must be received by Tuesday, February 6, 2018.

Cornell University is an equal opportunity employer.

Summer research in oceanography

Here is an announcement I recently received.  Note that it specifically is directed at students in physics.

I would like to inform your constituents about an exciting ten-week summer internship opportunity in the Marine Physical Laboratory (MPL) at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, in La Jolla, California. I have attached a flyer for your review and copied the job listing below — please forward / use in any ways that would best get the word out.

Our internship program is a great opportunity for inquisitive and motivated undergraduate students with exceptional aptitude for quantitative science majoring in Oceanography, Applied Mathematics, Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Geology to work with some of the most notable scientists in the world while earning a modest salary.
UCSD is an equal opportunity employer, with a strong institutional commitment to excellence through diversity.
More information can be found on our website https://scripps.ucsd.edu/mpl/mpl-summer-internship-program, where we will be accepting applications through 4 p.m. Pacific time on February 16, 2018. If you have any questions please contact me.
Warm regards,

Eva Friedlander | Summer Internship Coordinator | Marine Physical Laboratory | UC San Diego Scripps Institution Of Oceanography | MC 0213 | mpl-internship@ucsd.edu

OSU undergrad research

The Ohio State Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry is a valuable resource for any student seeking research opportunities.

The office maintains a list of research opportunities for undergraduates.  These are for all disciplines, but many of them require the sorts of skills that you may possess.  Over the years, several majors in Astronomy and Astrophysics have done productive and exciting research in other fields.  Training in any field of research is extremely valuable for graduate school or for employment in technical fields.  Give it a look!

 

Summer research in materials science

Here’s an announcement I recently received.

I want to bring to your attention a 2018 NSF Sponsored Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). The focus is on Experimental and Computational Materials Research. See poster below and visit our website for complete program details.
 
The program dates are May 20 to Jul 27, 2018. The application deadline is April 1, 2018, but you should consider getting your documentation in place early, including securing letters of recommendation from faculty.  Decisions will be made no later than April 15, 2018.
 
The research projects include, but are not limited to, electronic materials, nanomaterials, lasers and optical materials, biosensors, biophysics & biomaterials, computational materials, biomedical research and materials under pressure.”
 
The REU program will pay a $5,000 stipend for the ten weeks period, plus additional support for housing, travel and other expenses. If you have questions about logistics, housing, and travel arrangements, please contact Charita Cadenhead <charita@uab.edu> or by phone at (205) 975-8076.

Planetary Science Ph.D. Program at Northern Arizona U.

Here’s an announcement I recently received.

NAU ASTRONOMY AND PLANETARY SCIENCE PHD STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES
The Department of Physics and Astronomy at Northern Arizona University seeks outstanding applicants for our PhD program in Astronomy and Planetary Science.
Our research portfolio includes exoplanet science; the formation and evolution of planetary systems; the small bodies in our Solar System; planetary geology of solid bodies in our Solar System; robotic exploration of Mars; laboratory astrophysics studies; and observational planetary astronomy. We enjoy institutional access to major telescopes around the world, and we also work closely with colleagues at the nearby Lowell Observatory and US Geological Survey/Astrogeology Science Center.
We are particularly seeking applicants to work on the following funded research projects:
  • telescopic observations of asteroids [Cristina Thomas]
  • exoplanet studies and terrestrial exoplanet analogs [Ty Robinson]
  • Mars rover/remote sensing/big data for terrestrial and planetary science [Mark Salvatore]
  • Hubble Space Telescope observations of the outermost Solar System [David Trilling]
  • remote sensing of Mars and the moon [Christopher Edwards]
  • the evolution of massive stars [Phil Massey]
  • astrophysical ice lab experiments [Jennifer Hanley, Will Grundy, Steve Tegler]
More information is available at
and through contacting individual faculty directly about their research.
We particularly encourage applications from students with diverse backgrounds.
Application deadline is January 1, 2018.