Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Astronomy and Astrophysics at Cornell University
Opportunity Description:
Each summer, Cornell welcomes up to ten undergraduate Research Assistants to join a vibrant research community at Cornell's Department of Astronomy and the Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science. Students will work on individual research projects with Cornell faculty and research staff on a wide range of topic in astrobiology, Solar System exploration, planetary science, exoplanets, instrumentation, cosmology, gravitational waves, galaxies, radio astronomy and star formation. You can view previous years' research topics here.
In addition to conducting individual research projects, students will also participate in a series of group activities including lectures, roundtables and workshops. Depending on whether the program has an in person component and how long it is, students will also participate in one or two field trips, a geology tour of the Finger Lakes area and a trip to New York City to the American Museum of Natural History.
For each participant, a stipend of $6,000.00 will be provided for the ten week session, plus $1,250.00 for housing and meals as well as $1,000.00 towards the costs of travel for observation or other research-related activities, or a professional meeting. Eligible expenses include travel, meals, lodging, meeting registration and preparation of presentation materials. If the program is partly or fully in person, up to $700.00 for travel to and from Ithaca will also be provided.
Summer 2022 - 10 week program
Tentative program dates: June 6 to August 12. Firm dates will be announced by February 28.
Minimum Qualifications and/or Eligibility Requirements:
United States citizens or permanent residents who have completed 1 to 3 years of undergraduate academic training by June 2022 and who will graduate at or after the end of the 2022 fall semester or quarter at their school are eligible.
Please note that the program cannot accept applications from students who are not U.S. Citizens or permanent residents due to NSF funding restrictions.
Application Process:
Please apply via the application site.
You will be asked for a statement describing your background, educational goals, and your scientific interests. Be sure to describe your computer experience and include any other information you think is relevant
It is not required that you have college research experience, but if you have any, please describe it. Did you participate in a standalone research program, either an REU or something similar, or did you do your research during the school year, either as part of a class or outside of your coursework? How did you become engaged in it? What did you do? How long were you engaged? How much time were you putting in per week? What did you learn, in terms of science, skills, your understanding of how science is made and of science as a potential career?
You will also be asked to submit contact information for two letter writers and transcripts as supporting materials.
- Unofficial transcripts are accepted as long as they are generated by your college or university website. If you cannot obtain them, we must request official transcripts. Please upload them as PDFs via the application website.
- If you are accepted, you will be required to send official transcripts covering all of your college work.
- The application website will generate an e-mail requesting your letter-writers to upload their letters once you enter their information. Double check email addresses for typos!
Uploading is the preferred and most efficient means of processing your application materials. If necessary, however, please contact: astroreu [at] cornell [dot] edu to make alternative arrangements.
In order to prevent potential mix-ups, it's a good idea to avoid uploading multiple iterations of a file using the exact same name. Please indicate in the name the date of the latest version!
Complete applications and all supporting materials must be received at the above address no later than Thursday, February 3, 2022 at 5:00 pm EST. The selection process begins immediately after the deadline is due, so late applications or supporting materials cannot be accepted.