Undergraduate Research Assistant Opportunities in Fall 2021
The Earth Institute of Columbia University will provide undergraduate students with research assistant opportunities in the spring semester of 2021. Undergraduates at Columbia University will be able to serve as research assistants in projects related to sustainability and the environment, together with outstanding faculty and researchers at the forefront of this emerging field.
Although Columbia University’s research assistant positions are usually awarded to graduate students, the program aims to provide undergraduates with a unique opportunity to participate in high-level research and gain valuable experience and skills for their future academic and professional careers. Successful applicants will work directly with teachers on the project on a part-time basis.
The fall 2021 positions include:
- Adapt to floods in coastal and urban communities
- Multi-seasonal assessment of human well-being, social resilience and ecosystems in New York City during and after the Covid-19 pandemic
- Biomineralization under climate change: Simulating the environmental impact on key ecosystem engineers
- The double burden of rice diet for women in Bangladesh
- Assess the impact of environmental and human disturbance on the ecology and biogeochemistry of the Long Island Strait
- Peacekeeping project
Apply:
Complete the available online application here 11:55 PM on September 15, 2021. Although you can apply for multiple positions, you must submit separate applications for each position.
Only full-time Columbia University undergraduates are eligible to apply. Barnard students are not eligible to take the undergraduate RA program. The funding rate for undergraduate RAships is $18 per hour. The decision will be made shortly after the deadline.
Students selected for the position are expected to participate in the Earth Institute Student Research Exhibition in the spring of 2022.
If you have any questions, please contact Cari Shimkus (cshimkus@ei.columbia.edu).
Adapt to floods in coastal and urban communities
Department: Climate System Research Center
Expected tasks: RA is needed to analyze the data in workshop records, baselines, and follow-up surveys to solve research problems. The tasks will include:
- Literature review
- Help develop follow-up questionnaires.
- Write a questionnaire on Survey Monkey.
- Manage the list of samples and monitor the progress of the investigation.
- Clean up and help analyze comprehensive survey data from baseline and follow-up surveys.
- Coding and analysis seminar records.
- Create data visualization and brainstorming strategies to communicate research results to community partners.
- If RA is interested, they will have the opportunity to help compile the results into a paper.
Preferred skills:
- Have an academic background in one of the social sciences.
- Have a good understanding of basic statistics, including multiple regression.
- Experience in statistical analysis software packages (such as Stata, R, SPSS or Matlab).
- Excellent research ability. Must be very organized and methodical, paying attention to details.
Multi-seasonal assessment of human well-being, social resilience and ecosystems in New York City during and after the Covid-19 pandemic
Department: Environmental Science, Barnard
Expected tasks: The Research Assistant (RA) will participate in a wide range of research tasks, including but not limited to: surveys, interviews, and observational research on the experiences of people in New York parks. Specifically, RA will conduct face-to-face interviews and observations in six parks in the autumn and winter of 2021 (in pairs, following the Covid-19 safety protocol) to investigate the relationship between subjective well-being, local attachment and green space attributes. In addition to field work, RA will also participate in data entry, coding, data analysis (comparison with the park and seasonal data collected in the summer of 2021), and the dissemination of preliminary research results. RA will have the opportunity to participate in an active research group by participating in meetings and assisting in further project development. RA’s contribution will address one of the main research goals of the project, exploring how seasonal differences in park use and ecosystem characteristics affect personal well-being and social resilience.
Preferred skills: RA will gain experience in conducting surveys and interview-based field research, conducting field observations, and data entry and coding. Skills required include high attention to detail, willingness to contact strangers in the park interview/survey environment, excellent collaboration and communication skills, basic experience in Excel/Google spreadsheets, willingness to learn, and interest in urban social ecological research. The ideal candidate will have previous social or natural scientific research experience conducting research based on surveys and/or interviews. However, the RA (regardless of previous experience) will be trained in socio-ecological research methods and protocols specific to the project.
Biomineralization under climate change: Simulating the environmental impact on key ecosystem engineers
Department: Lamont-Dougherty Earth Observatory
Expected tasks: RA will participate in different parts of the research process, including specimen cleaning, shell sample preparation, and morphometric data collection. The specific project tasks of the student RA will include, but are not limited to, cleaning of oyster shells for component analysis, preparation of shell slices for microscopy, slice grinding and polishing, collection of shell morphology and density data, and preparation of geometric morphology measurement and analysis data. . Given the large-scale nature of the project, involving surveys of samples taken from multiple locations and geographic regions, the assistance provided by RA is very valuable for collecting large amounts of data from different research systems. Therefore, the additional data collected by RA will improve the predictive power of spatial and temporal models and better understand the response of oyster populations under a wider range of environmental conditions.
Preferred skills: RA students must have good communication and interpersonal skills. RA should feel comfortable commuting to Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory for laboratory work one or two days a week. No previous laboratory experience is required, but it needs to be able to adapt to a flexible laboratory environment and schedule. Training on any research tasks or analytical techniques required before the commitment will be provided. It is recommended to have basic knowledge of image analysis software (such as Image J, Fiji or Adobe Photoshop). Good time management, organizational skills, and the ability to work effectively in a team environment are also desirable.
The double burden of rice diet for women in Bangladesh
Department: Environmental Health Science
Expected tasks: We are looking for an RA to work with our team to complete tasks directly related to the project goals. In this study, we already have samples from 400 households in Bangladesh. RA will help these samples generate a statistically reliable data set for analyzing the contribution of nutrition and arsenic exposure in the rice diet. Women in the household were asked to provide samples of raw and cooked rice and urine samples on site. RA will i) prepare these samples for trace element analysis using an inductively coupled mass spectrometer (ICP-MS), and ii) assist in data acquisition and data processing.
Preferred skills:
- Empirical Analytical Chemistry (ideal),
- Familiar with Excel, interested in data analysis (required)
- High attention to detail and multi-tasking ability (required)
- Kathrin Schilling will provide any necessary laboratory training and data analysis assistance.
Assess the impact of environmental and human disturbance on the ecology and biogeochemistry of the Long Island Strait
Department: Lamont-Dougherty Earth Observatory
Expected tasks: Students will receive interdisciplinary training in the fields of biogeochemistry, biology, oceanography, and ocean optics, and will develop skills in field and laboratory technology, data analysis, and the use of analytical instruments. The in-situ measurement results of the physicochemical and bio-optical properties of water will be collected to characterize the biogeochemical and ecological processes of the estuary. Water samples will be collected from rivers, coastal swamps and sound estuaries for chemical characterization and optical analysis in the laboratory. Students will have the opportunity to collect and process samples, analyze data, and draw scientifically based conclusions on how natural and human disturbances affect the water quality and ecological processes of the Long Island Strait. In addition, students will develop critical analysis and writing skills, and will have the opportunity to link the results of this work-study program to a larger scale project in the tri-state area that aims to assess the vulnerability of coastal ecosystems to climate change.
Preferred skills: We are looking for motivated undergraduates who have a strong background and interest in environmental science, self-motivation, creativity, good communication skills, strong quantitative skills, programming experience (for example, Matlab) and willing to be part of an interdisciplinary team. Experience in field data collection methods and/or remote sensing data analysis is preferred, but not required.
Peacekeeping project
Department: Advanced Alliance of Cooperation, Conflict and Complexity
Expected tasks: RA will achieve this goal by analyzing information aimed at understanding which structures, processes, systems and norms can maintain social peace and establish the evidence base of the project. This process will involve conducting online research, incorporating the research into the organizational system, and summarizing the findings.
Preferred skills:
- Strong research, writing and analysis skills
- Attention to detail
- Strong organization and time management capabilities
- Flexible to adapt to the needs of a dynamic research agenda
- Ability to work independently
- Experience in social science research is preferred
- Gain points for understanding current issues in the field of peace and conflict resolution (from life experience or academic perspective)
