Undergraduate Research and Internship Opportunities
Exciting
research and internship opportunities for undergraduate students can be found
in the College of Arts and Sciences. Many of these are arranged on an individual
basis, and interested students should contact the departmental undergraduate
studies director or individual faculty members to explore possibilities in their
areas of interest. UB is a research university, and students at all levels are
invited and encouraged to participate in this important enterprise.
Below is a sampling. Do not hesitate to explore other areas that are currently not listed! All departments can be accessed from the CAS website homepage.
African American Studies (AAS)
The AAS department is reorganizing the research seminar this academic year to provide students with new research possibilities, including opportunities for AAS students to conduct collaborative research with partners at colleges, universities and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in South Africa, Ghana and Nigeria. Also, individual faculty members may offer undergraduate research opportunities. For more information, contact the department at aasdept@buffalo.edu.
Anthropology
Many Anthropology faculty members direct research projects that invite or allow participation of undergraduate students. In the recent past, these have included research on disabilities in Canada, primate behavior at the Buffalo Zoo, archaeological studies in Belize and research in Chile on traditional Mapuche Indian shamanism. For more information about such opportunities, interested students should visit the department's web site at http://anthropology.buffalo.edu/webstuff/people/people.htm to identify faculty members whose research activities are of interest to the student; then, contact the faculty member(s) directly.
The Department of Anthropology sponsors a summer archaeology field school, open to both UB and non-UB students. In 2003, the field school was held in Denmark, under the direction of Dr. Tina Thurston. Please contact the department's undergraduate coordinator at prh@buffalo.edu for more information on this program.
The Department of Anthropology hosts an active archaeology survey, an in-house "business" that conducts contract archaeology throughout New York. Undergraduates are often involved in research projects for this unit, and interested students may contact the director at perrelli@acsu.buffalo.edu for more information.
Biological
Sciences
Individual undergraduate research opportunities are available in the Department of Biological Sciences. Faculty offer a variety of opportunities ranging from on-site laboratory research to computer-based genomic studies to field work in locations as distant as the Caribbean Islands. Interested students should visit the department's web site at http://wings.buffalo.edu/academic/department/fnsm/bio-sci/faculdir.html to identify faculty members whose research activities closely match the student's interest, and then contact the faculty members directly to discuss research possibilities.
Communicative Disorders & Sciences
CDS
undergraduate students interested in learning about scientific methodologies
and theoretical issues are welcome to participate in research through the department's
many experimental research laboratories (e.g., Communication and Assistive Device
Laboratory, Motor Speech Disorders Laboratory, Language Production Laboratory).
Interested students may participate in individual faculty research in the areas
of speech-language pathology, audiology, communicative assistance, speech motor
disorders, as well as normal speech, language, and hearing functioning. For
more information, contact the department's director of undergraduate studies
at
cdscluce@buffalo.edu.
English
Students majoring in English have a variety of opportunities to work closely with English department faculty on research-based projects. For a list of available projects, and more information about how majors can become involved, please contact the English Department Associate Chair, Professor David Schmid, schmid@buffalo.edu
Geography
The Department of Geography regularly places undergraduate students in a variety of paid and unpaid internships that involve applied research. Students can be placed in one of more than 500 agencies and organizations. For more information contact the department at babraham@buffalo.edu. Research opportunities may also be available through individual faculty members.
Geology
The research activities of the Department of Geology fall under two categories-environmental Geology and Volcanology. Each of these major groups provides students with unique research opportunities. For more information, visit the department's web site at http://www.geology.buffalo.edu/undergrad/index.shtml.
The Buffalo Geosciences Program (BGP) is a National Science Foundation sponsored program designed to attract students from underrepresented populations into the geosciences. As part of this program, paid internships during the academic year as well as summer are available. For more information, visit http://www.bgp.buffalo.edu.
Interdisciplinary
Degree Programs
Most of the undergraduate programs in the Interdisciplinary Degree Programs (IDP) provide internship opportunities. Placements in over 150 agencies are possible, with internship courses structured so that students are provided with the opportunity to observe the practical working of some aspect of their chosen major. For more information, contact the Internship Director, Susan Pearles, at pearles@acsu.buffalo.edu.
Linguistics
UB undergraduate students from any major may participate in the Linguistic Department Teaching Internship Program (LIN 496), to gain hands-on experience with various aspects of language and literacy teaching. Interns may be placed in the Buffalo Public Schools as teacher's aides or tutors, working one-on-one with students to help them develop language and literacy skills. Alternatively, students may be placed with Literacy Volunteers or with various other language/literacy projects in the community. Interested students should contact Dr. Jeri Jaeger at jjaeger@buffalo.edu.
Mathematics
Undergraduate research opportunities are available on an individual basis under MTH 497. Interested students should contact the Undergraduate Studies Office for more information ( undergraduatestudies@math.buffalo.edu).
Media Study
The
Department of Media Study offers undergraduate research opportunities in the
form of an independent study in virtual reality (VR) software development, low-cost
VR hardware development, networked visualization and VR, and other areas. Interested
students should contact the department at
mamackay@buffalo.edu. Information
about internships in the department of Media Study can be found at
http://mediastudy.buffalo.edu/s/undergrad_faq.shtml#Internships.
Physics
Undergraduate research opportunities are available on an individual basis in the Department of Physics. Interested students should visit the department's web site at http://www.physics.buffalo.edu/research.html to identify faculty members whose research activities closely match the student's interest, and then contact the faculty members directly to discuss research possibilities.
Psychology
Undergraduate students in the Department of Psychology are strongly encouraged to participate in research conducted in the department and the scientific community. Opportunities also exist to gain experience in applied settings through internships. Interested undergraduate students should visit http://www.psychology.buffalo.edu/psychology/undergraduate/requirements/researchoops.html for more information.
Romance Languages and Literatures
Students majoring in Romance Languages and Literatures have the opportunity to do service-based and research-based learning through a variety of channels. Recent courses have included a class on Buffalo's African refugee population (a large part of which is francophone), and Spanish majors have participated for several semesters in an internship with the Hermann Badillo Academy in the Buffalo Public School System. Advanced undergraduates often develop a contribution to the LiTgloss website ( http://wings.buffalo.edu/litgloss), and in Spring 2004, undergraduates will produce a French play in a campus theater. For more information contact .
Sociology
The Department of Sociology has completed the construction of a survey research laboratory that offers undergraduates opportunities to participate in survey research. To obtain more information, contact the department chair at rgranfie@buffalo.edu. Undergraduate Sociology majors may also take advantage of internship opportunities offered under SOC 498. Eligible students will be placed in any of 30 Buffalo-area businesses, government and public welfare agencies. For more information, contact the department undergraduate coordinator at kcrean@buffalo.edu.
Women's Studies
The Department of Women's Studies provides interested undergraduates with supervised internship opportunities at community-based organizations in Buffalo. These internships allow students to receive academic credit for practical experience assisting community and women's advocacy groups. Contact the department at cintron@acsu.buffalo.edu for more information.
UB Community Linked Interdisciplinary Research (CLIR)
The mission of the UB CLIR program is to link community research needs in the public and private sectors with research expertise among our faculty to provide additional opportunities for undergraduates to participate in research that is of use to Western New York industry, government, community groups, schools, and social service agencies.
Undergraduates interested in research or scholarly work in the arts, natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities can begin work on projects under the CLIR courses. Check the CLIR website ( http://www.clir.buffalo.edu) for a list of courses each semester and a list of ongoing projects and faculty. For more information, contact gardella@acsu.buffalo.edu or jameson@acsu.buffalo.edu.