Summer Research Opportunities for Current WSU Students
Looking for summer undergraduate research opportunities? Generally, there are opportunities both at WSU and beyond to engage in undergraduate research over the summer. When searching through and weighing these opportunities, it is important to consider funding availability, the nature of the work, the environment in which the work takes place, and the timing of the opportunity relative to the WSU academic calendar. Check out these resources listed below to find the research project that fits you best.
Work with a WSU Research Mentor
For many of the faculty and staff who are conducting research at WSU, summer is an especially productive time and there may be opportunities for you to work on their projects as an undergraduate researcher. Due to the complexity of how these opportunities can change from one semester to the next, the best place to start looking for them is your departmental office or website.
Departmental offices can be a good place to start because their staff can give you some initial guidance on what undergraduate research opportunities might be available with their faculty. The faculty profiles which are generally listed on departmental websites often discuss the research that is being conducted by each faculty member. If you find a faculty member who is engaged in research that interests you, then send them an email asking about your interest in working on an undergraduate research, scholarship, or creative activity project under their mentorship!
Reminder: If you are already busy on projects with a mentor during the fall and/or spring semesters, be sure to ask if there are opportunities for you to remain involved over the summer session!
External Research Opportunities
There are perhaps countless opportunities for engaging in summer undergraduate research outside of WSU. The Office of Undergraduate Research has put together a list of some notable opportunities we recommend that students start with when searching for a summer research project. Many of the opportunities listed provide financial support for the students they accept into their research projects.
- When searching for summer opportunities, two search phrases that can help you discover summer research opportunities are “SURF undergraduate research” and “SMART undergraduate research”
- Professional Societies: Many professional societies provide funding for summer undergraduate research that may be instrumental in enabling you to work on a research project over the summer. Check the website of your professional society for funding opportunities that are available.
- Amgen Scholars: Every year, the Amgen Scholars Program provides hundreds of selected undergraduates with the opportunity to engage in a hands-on research experience at many of the world’s premier educational institutions. To be eligible, you must be a sophomore, junior, or non-graduating senior, and have an interest in pursuing a Ph.D. or M.D.-Ph.D.
- Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Short-Term Internships for Undergraduate Students: The CDC has a variety of hands-on short-term internship programs for undergraduate students still in school. These programs offer a unique experience in one of many exciting public health fields. They are designed to prepare students to consider public health as a career to ensure the American public benefits from a well-trained public health workforce. During their internships/fellowships, students work in a variety of public health settings including community organizations, health departments, university-based programs, and federal agencies.
- NASA: NASA’s Summer Undergraduate Program for Planetary Research for students pursuing degrees in planetary sciences, geology or geophysics and related disciplines.
- National Institutes of Health (NIH) Summer Internship Program (SIP) in Biomedical Research: SIPs at the NIH provide an opportunity to spend a summer working side-by-side with some of the leading scientists in the world, in an environment devoted exclusively to biomedical research. Foci of available projects include everything from behavioral and social sciences, through biology and chemistry, to physics, mathematical modeling, computational biology, and biostatistics. Internships generally cover a minimum of eight weeks, with students arriving at the NIH in June. A wide range of summer activities are typically planned that include an orientation to help interns get off to a good start, Summer Lectures featuring distinguished NIH investigators, career/professional development workshops, wellness activities, and Summer Poster Day.
- NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU): the National Science Foundation maintains a database of the large number of research projects it funds through its Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program. You can search the database by subject area to find and examine opportunities and learn about who you must contact to apply to the REU that interests you. NOTE: WSU hosts its own REU, USDA, and faculty-funded projects in summers; check with principle investigators if you are interested and feel you are eligible.
- Pathways to Science: this research opportunity posting board includes a database of paid summer research and internships for undergraduate students as well as helpful advice on how to find and apply to research programs.
- U.S. Department of Energy (DOE): DOE has two notable mechanisms for providing summer research opportunities to college undergraduates, the Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship and DOE Scholars programs:
- Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) program: The DOE Office of Science provides research experiences at their laboratories through their SULI program, which encourages undergraduate students to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. Undergraduate students perform research on projects supporting the DOE mission under the guidance of laboratory staff scientists or engineers.
- DOE Scholars Program: Administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), the DOE Scholars Program introduces students and recent college graduates to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) mission and operations. Undergraduates, graduate students, and recent graduates of an accredited institution of higher education majoring in STEM disciplines are eligible for appointments at participating DOE facilities nationwide.
- API and ISA offer research abroad opportunities. WSU Global Learning (a branch of International Programs) sometimes has funding awards to support these opportunities. Email Global Learning for more information.
- API research abroad – summer opportunities
- EuroScholars (ISA)
- Pacific Lutheran University maintains opportunity blogs for several fields – Chemistry Opportunities, Mathematics Opportunities, and Physics Opportunities.
Additional Opportunities
- In addition to the resources above, in this section we list some specific summer programs. Visit the individual program pages to learn more about each opportunity:
- American Gastroenterological Association – Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships
- Harvard – Summer Research Opportunities
- Michigan State Summer Research Opportunities
- Ole Miss Chemistry Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)
- University of Michigan summer program, UM-SMART, for students interested in a combined MD | PhD degree leading to a career in academic medicine as a physician-scientist
- University of Virginia, School of Medicine – Summer Research Internship Program
- Yale School of the Environment – Environmental Fellows Program
- Seattle Children’s Research Institute – Summer Scholars Program
- Fred Hutch Cancer Center – Summer Undergraduate Research Program
- University of Pittsburgh – Department of Chemistry Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)