UND announces summer research opportunities in climate change for undergrad students
If a summer research opportunity in climate change sounds cool to you, Gretchen Mullendore, assistant professor in the University of North Dakota Department of Atmospheric Sciences, has a deal available.
It’s called the “Communicating Climate Change” internship and applications for the program are available online at http://people.aero.und.edu/~gretchen/CCC2010-announcement-application.pdf; application deadline is March 22 (see more application details below). The program is funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Global Climate Change Education Program.
Mullendore, who’s a severe storm expert and climate change observer, is the principal investigator on a grant to use NASA data to educate undergraduates about climate change. Mullendore will be working on this project with colleagues from Atmospheric Sciences, Earth System Science and Policy, and Chemical Engineering.
“We are now recruiting from regional schools to come to UND this summer for this internship program,” said Mullendore, who is also the recipient of several grants to study how severe storms form.
Project Overview:
UND has a long tradition of educating students from the Upper Midwest, including under-represented rural and Native American students. UND’s strong programs in atmospheric science, earth systems science and policy, geography, engineering, and teacher education will form the foundation of this summer program aimed at educating undergraduates about issues related to global climate change, according to NASA.
Working with faculty, students will use NASA Earth observation datasets to conduct research and design webcasts to present their research findings. For example, the Aqua and Terra data will be used to look at changes in temperature, land use and land cover, and the spread of the polar ice sheet. Students will also use the projections of future climate from global climate change models.
The UND Department of Atmospheric Sciences–part of the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences–trains students for careers as professional broadcasters as part of the Studio One program, so the production expertise and production facilities are already in place. These webcasts will be crafted in such a way as to be accessible for non-scientists, and will be posted on the UND web site for public access. This summer program will encourage undergraduates to pursue a master’s degree in the field, e.g. UND Earth Systems Science and Policy Climate and Environmental Change master’s degree.
The Dakota Science Center (DSC), a local educational outreach organization, will work with pre-service and in-service teachers to develop additional educational materials for both grades 6-12 teachers and the general public. The program will expand to teacher education and out-of-school programming, including the continuing utilization of webcasts created by the undergraduate researchers. The engineering component will add hands-on learning experiences in remote sensing equipment design and sustainable, clean energy technologies through its existing PowerOn! mobile science learning lab.
Internship Details:
UND Summer Internship Program Summer 2010 “Communicating Climate Change,” May 19–July 13, 2010 at UND—16 internship positions are available for undergraduate students to come to UND to learn about climate, the fundamentals of climate change, and do research projects using NASA observational and model data. Accepted students will receive a stipend of $1100, free housing on the campus of UND, and free meals for the duration of the 8-week program.
Specific research projects will study:
1) Observed surface temperature trends
2) Projected future surface temperature trends
3) Snow and ice coverage change
4) Impacts of land use change
Interns will also receive training in using media technology, culminating in production of a webcast about investigating aspects of climate change using NASA data. These webcasts will then be presented to the community, and be posted on the Internet along with lesson plans to be used by regional middle and high school students.
Eligibility:
Qualified students will have taken basic math (introductory calculus or statistics preferred) and demonstrated an interest in science via their application. Preference will be given to applicants that have completed their sophomore year by the start of the internship and to applicants from regional schools that are not research-intensive universities. Applicants should be willing to work and study within a collaborative setting.
Application Procedure:
Application can be download from http://people.aero.und.edu/~gretchen/CCC2010-announcement-application.pdf
Submit the completed application form (including essay) and a copy of your official college transcript to:
Communicating Climate Change Program
UND, Department of Atmospheric Sciences
4149 University Avenue, Stop 9006
Grand Forks, ND 58202-9006
The application form information and essay can also be submitted via email to seyler@atmos.und.edu (subject line “Communicating Climate Change Program”).
Deadline:
Completed application materials for these positions must be received by March 22,
2010. Applicants will be notified of decisions by April 2, 2010.
