Category: Research

RU Campus Job: Sustainability Student Associates for 2024-25

The Department of Law, Society & Sustainability (LSS) @RooseveltU is hiring up to two undergraduate students to work as Sustainability Student Associates for the 2024-25 academic year. Information and application instructions for this position can be found on the RU Student Employment website. To apply, just login to the Handshake job posting system and upload your letter of interest, résumé, and writing sample (deadline extended to 9/13/24). These positions are funded by the Federal Work-Study (FWS) program as well as Testa Produce; FWS and non-FWS eligible students are therefore welcome to apply.

These 15 hour/week student positions support the mission, pedagogy, and service work of the Sustainability Studies (SUST) as well as other related programs in the LSS Dept at Roosevelt by

  • developing & supporting campus sustainability projects in consultation with the SUST program director; Dept of Law, Society & Sustainability faculty; Operations and Planning admin/staff; and the RU Green student organization;
  • managing the Roosevelt Urban Sustainability Lab (RUSLab) & assisting with the WB Rooftop Garden;
  • providing logistical and communication support for sustainability-related activities, events, and projects, especially our ongoing efforts at strategic sustainability planning;
  • coordinating & promoting departmental events & campus outreach (e.g., Campus Sustainability Month in October, SUST Symposia, & Earth Month in April);
  • supporting student experiential learning, recruitment, retention, & career development efforts;
  • performing alumni and community outreach.

In 2024-25, up to two Student Associates will work under the direction of the LSS Dept Chair and SUST Program Director, Prof. Mike Bryson. Associates will utilize the RUSLab in AUD 526 as their home base at the Chicago Campus as well as perform some work remotely as needed. Both Federal Work-Study eligible and non-eligible students from any major are welcome to apply, but priority in hiring will be given to FWS students who are based in the programs of the new Department of Law, Society & Sustainability within the new College of Humanities, Education & Social Sciences (formerly the College of Arts & Sciences).

The application deadline has been extended Friday 9/13/24. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and interviews will be conducted starting the week of 9/3/24. Consequently, interested students should get their applications submitted ASAP and may contact Prof. Bryson in advance to indicate their intention to apply and ask questions about the position. A cover letter, updated résumé, and writing sample are required for the application.

The writing sample should be at least 1000 words and demonstrate your writing & research skills (this may be a paper submitted for a college class). Topic related to sustainability and/or the environment is recommended, but not required. This should be something that exemplifies your *best* writing for a general and/or academic audience, but not be overly technical.

Please note your FWS eligibility status in your cover letter. Applicants should explain their interest in advancing campus sustainability as well as highlight their prior knowledge about and/or skills in relevant sustainability issues and practices (e.g., recycling, gardening, event planning, data analysis, student outreach, etc.)

  • Priority Majors: Criminal Justice, Economics, English, International Studies, Paralegal Studies, Political Science, Psychology, Public Administration, Social Justice Studies, Sociology, and Sustainability Studies. Students from other majors will also be considered.
  • Required Skills/Knowledge: Knowledge of and interest in sustainability; strong writing/editing skills; effective communication skills; dependability, strong work ethic, and ability to work independently.

Please email Prof. Bryson (mbryson@roosevelt.edu) for questions about the position or application process.

Celebrate Earth Month by Documenting the World’s Biodiversity! 4/13 through 4/16 online & @ the Field Museum
Dear community scientists!
 
You are receiving this email because you registered and/or kindly participated in a prior WeDigBio event, Meet a Scientist, Members Night, etc. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you will find instructions to unsubscribe after our signatures.
 
Be a part of a global effort to digitize centuries of data about life on Earth! Organisms may include ferns, fungi, mosses, lichens, insects, and mammals. Participants will have an opportunity to meet scientists and join in behind-the-scenes tours or talks about the significance of the scientific collections!
 
WeDigBio will be held online daily from Thursday, April 13th – Sunday, April 16th.
 
The Field Museum is kindly welcoming a small group of volunteers to work in-person to assist with the curation process of the botanical collections. This opportunity is on a first-come, first-served basis so please fill out the registration form below. NOTE: The Field Museum will not be offering free parking at this time, only free admission. If you are a docent/volunteer with the museum, you will still be able to use your badge for parking at the West Lot. We are sorry for the inconvenience!
 
To register for this event, please click here.
 
WeDigBio is ideal for teens aged 15+ and adults. However, families are welcome as it is a great opportunity for all age groups to work together.
 
For educators with classes, please contact us directly.
 
Details for all WeDigBio days:
  • A Zoom link will be emailed the day before each session starts regardless if you are participating online or in-person.
  • Check-in will start at 9:30am CDT (10:30am EDT/8:30am MDT/7:30am PDT) whether you are volunteering online or in-person.
  • For in-person volunteering at the Field Museum, volunteers will be checked in at the East Entrance of the museum and must be masked when behind-the-scenes – in compliance with Museum policy.
  • Each event will begin at 10:00am CDT until 1:00pm CDT (11:00am–2:00pm EDT/9:00am–1:00pm MDT/8:00am–12:00pm PDT).
    • Talks and behind-the-scenes tours will be scattered throughout.
Thank you everyone for considering participating in this event!
 
The WeDigBio Team
Matt, Jessica, Miranda, and Yarency

Questions? Reach out to:

Matt von Konrat, Ph.D., FLS

Head of Botanical Collections, Gantz Family Collections Center

Adjunct Curator & McCarter Collections Manager (Bryophytes & Pteridophytes)

pronouns: he/him/his

O: 312.665.7864

 

Field Museum

1400 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive

Chicago, IL 60605

fieldmuseum.org

 

Apply to the McNair Scholars Program! (There’s Still Room)

The McNair Scholars Program at Roosevelt has extended its deadline for recruiting new scholars for this spring’s 2023 cohort. McNair is a federally funded research based program that aims to develop a student’s understanding of research and supports their scholarly efforts in their respective fields (while providing a $2,800 stipend). The Program supports students in the graduate application process by providing GRE prep material and one-on-one guidance.

Any students who like to do research and are (1) first generation AND low income, OR  (2) from an underrepresented group, please email Noe Ramirez for more information.

nramirez19@roosevelt.edu

mcnair@roosevelt.edu

Get Paid To Do Research this Summer 2021

SUST majors @RooseveltU, particularly those who have had some biology and/or environmental science classes, are in a good position to apply for a Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) summer fellowships, offered through generous funding by the National Science Foundation. These fellowships are excellent opportunities to work directly with scientific researchers on lab- and field-based topics, gain hands-on research experience, and network with fellow undergrads from other schools. Plus they’re well compensated with a fellowship stipend of several thousand dollars. (Yes — you read that correctly.)

Chicago Botanic Garden REU Symposium 2015 (Source: CBG)

Chicago Botanic Garden REU Symposium 2015 (Source: CBG)

Here in the Chicago region there are several notable REU programs that offer multiple paid fellowships, including those based in the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Plant Biology and Conservation Program (2/5 application deadline) and Northeastern IL University‘s water quality study in the Yucatan Peninsula (2/15 deadline).

Further afield, there are many other opportunities available in Illinois, in the Midwest, and across the US. Two excellent ones, for example, are the Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region program at the University of Michigan Biological Station (2/15 deadline) and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s Summer Student Fellowship program (2/5 deadline). Both have very generous stipends and are phenomenal places to spend a summer doing field-based environmental research! (Coincidentally, SUST prof Mike Bryson worked at both of these sites back in his college days in the late 1980s, when the REU program was a new thing.)

Interested applicants should also check out the NSF’s REU Students website for access to dozens of fellowships opportunities across across the US. Consult individual program sites for 2020 application materials and deadlines, which are usually in late January or throughout February/March.

Back in summer 2012, SUST alum Allison Breeding (BA ’13) won a REU fellowship at SIU’s Center for Ecology and studied agroecology in beautiful Southern Illinois. She blogged about her experiences here and presented an overview of her research at the October 2013 Sustainability Studies Student Symposium.

Want to learn more? Check out the links above! And remember: you can’t get one of these awesome fellowships unless you apply . . .

From the NSF Website (REU For Students):

NSF funds a large number of research opportunities for undergraduate students through its REU Sites program. An REU Site consists of a group of ten or so undergraduates who work in the research programs of the host institution. Each student is associated with a specific research project, where he/she works closely with the faculty and other researchers. Students are granted stipends and, in many cases, assistance with housing and travel. Undergraduate students supported with NSF funds must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States or its possessions. An REU Site may be at either a US or foreign location.

By using the web page, Search for an REU Site, you may examine opportunities in the subject areas supported by various NSF units. Also, you may search by keywords to identify sites in particular research areas or with certain features, such as a particular location.

Students must contact the individual sites for information and application materials. NSF does not have application materials and does not select student participants. A contact person and contact information is listed for each site.

Chicago Area Undergraduate Research Symposia in April 2019 & RU Workshop this Friday 2/22

This is a great opportunity for RU students in all disciplines to present their research, get public speaking experience, receive feedback from faculty experts on their work, network with fellow students at Chgo-area universities, and build professional credentials for their work résumés or grad school applications.

In addition, the Office of Student Research @RooseveltU is running a student workshop this Fri 2/22 at 1pm on the Chgo Campus geared toward preparing students for the RU Student Research Symposium on Fri 4/12 and/or the CAURS on Sat 4/13. See below for details!

Research Presentation Workshop @RU, 2/22, 1pm Learning Commons

Access the pdf of the above image.

 

FOIA Workshop Session @RU Monday 2/18

SUST and SOC majors, check out this excellent workshop at RU scheduled for tomorrow, Mon 2/18, at 11am in AUD 314. (See this pdf).

This workshop is ideal for students in my current SUST 340 Policy, Law, & Ethics course, as well as for all SUST and SOC majors. If you’re on campus tomorrow and free at 11, I highly recommend attending! However, if you’re unable to make it, no worries: there will be handouts available — and Prof. Cusac is a good colleague of mine who would be happy to speak with you individually about how FOIA requests could enhance your environmental/sociological research.

RU Students! Apply Now for Funding thru the Office of Student Research

To my RU students and advisees — the new Office of Student Research is currently accepting proposals (due Nov. 15) for student research projects for Spring 2019. See below for details, and check out the OSR website for more info. Contact me via email if you have an idea and want to brainstorm. This is a phenomenal opportunity to get funding do a scholarly, campus- or community-based, and/or creative project and, in the process, build your professional résumé!

The Office of Student Research offers financial and academic support to help students interested in developing and executing research and mission-related creative and scholarly projects. OSR initiatives support students at each stage of the research process, from connecting with mentors and securing funding, to gaining research skills, to sharing results with the Roosevelt University community and beyond. The OSR also provides professional development, graduate school preparation resources, and information on nationally competitive summer programs and fellowships.

Fellowships – The OSR provides several types of fellowship awards to support students engaged in research and mission-related scholarship projects:

Early Research and Scholarship Fellowships ($1,000)
Available to all Roosevelt University students, especially first- and second-year undergraduate students, to begin research and creative scholarship early in their studies.

To learn more about eligibility, the application process, and expectations download the complete pdf guide

Advanced Research and Scholarship Fellowships ($2,000)
Available to all Roosevelt University students, especially third- and fourth-year undergraduate students and recent transfer students, to conduct advanced research and complete creative scholarship. Several fellowships are reserved for graduate students who wish to conduct research early in their studies, although fellowships will be approved for thesis completion.

To learn more about eligibility, the application process, and expectations download the complete pdf guide

Community-based Research Fellowships (Based on funding/project)
Available to all Roosevelt University students who wish to conduct applied, collaborative, community-based research. Students awarded these fellowships will join existing university-community collaborative projects, working as part of a team.

**OSR fellowships are not the only Roosevelt program providing research funding. Honors students should explore research opportunities in the Honors Program. Contact the McNair Scholars Program to learn if you are eligible to participate in this federally-funded program offering research, mentorship, and graduate school preparation resources.

Research and Scholarship Supply Funds – Students awarded a Research and Scholarship Fellowship will receive a stipend. The stipend is intended to provide the student adequate time to complete the project. Students and mentors can apply separately for up to $300-$400 in a research budget.

Research and Scholarship Travel Funds – The OSR provides resources and travel funding for students presenting their work at discipline-based, regional, and/or national conferences. If you need travel money to conduct your research, please consider this when developing your budget.