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Undergraduate Research Internships: Summer 2012 Call for Proposals
DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS: TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2012

The Center seeks applications from faculty members and undergraduate students who are interested in working together on a poverty related research project.  The Center anticipates providing up to five undergraduate students with paid internships during Summer 2012. Internships will involve a minimum of 10 hours of research activity per week over most of the summer, and will be under the guidance of the affiliated faculty member. In addition to their individual research experiences, summer interns will also participate in an informal workshop with a Center research affiliate, which will provide interns with information about poverty related careers, graduate school, and professional mentoring.

The Center for Poverty Research seeks applications from faculty affiliates who are conducting research related to our core research areas:

  • Labor markets and poverty
  • The non-cash safety net, broadly construed to include education and health policies
  • Children and the intergenerational transmission of poverty
  • Immigration and Poverty, especially in connection with the above three areas

Terms of the Internship

The following terms apply:

  1. By the end of spring quarter 2012, faculty-student pairs will write a memorandum of understanding about what the students’ research duties will include, the time commitment required, and the expected product.
  2. 2. Interns will participate in an informal faculty mentoring session with a pre-appointed Center affiliate.
  3. 3. When appropriate, interns will be encouraged to present a summary of their work at the UCD undergraduate research conference in spring 2013.

Selection Criteria

Applications will be evaluated by an interdisciplinary group of senior scholars affiliated with the Center. Proposals will be evaluated on several factors, including:

  • The project’s relevance to the Center’s core research areas;
  • The student’s academic achievement;
  • The student’s academic/career goals.

Application Instructions

The application may be initiated by either a faculty member or an undergraduate student, but only applications in which a defined student/faculty pair have identified each other will be considered. Students who are interested in applying and would like to find a faculty member to work with should check the Center website to obtain a list of faculty affiliates.

Faculty and student applicants should submit one joint proposal. Proposals must be received by 5 PM on May 15, 2012. Please use the online application link at the bottom of this page to complete and submit the following elements:
1. A completed application that includes 

  • A 250 word description of the anticipated research project, including 1) how it links to least one of the Center’s core research themes, and 2) what the parts of the project to which the student will contribute. This should be completed by the faculty member.
  • A 250 word description of the proposed intern’s career and research goals and how they will be enhanced by the internship. This should be completed by the student.

2. Student’s academic transcript (unofficial is sufficient)

Questions? Contact povertycenter@ucdavis.edu or (530) 752-0401.