northwestern summer undergraduate research program

Summer Undergraduate Research Grant

The NextGen NeuroGeneticists (NG 2 ) Summer Undergraduate Research Grant is an exciting new program that aims to provide undergraduate students the opportunity to perform cutting-edge neurogenetics research at Northwestern University. NG 2   is looking for driven undergraduates who are passionate and curious about neurogenetics research to join one of the research teams at the Simpson Querrey Center for Neurogenetics for the summer.

NG 2 will provide an attractive stipend to cover living and research expenses for a total of 10 weeks of full-time independent academic and creative work, in a laboratory affiliated with the center.

Our labs specialize in a variety of neurogenetic areas, including identification of disease-causing genetic variants as well as the understanding of neurological disease mechanisms. We study a variety of disorders including ataxia, Alzheimer’s disease, ALS, epilepsy, dystonia and Parkinson’s disease. See a list of all our members and their projects on our Members page .

To apply, contact a center member to determine a project idea and then apply to the Summer Undergraduate Research program . You will automatically be considered for this award; however, awards are limited.

The NG 2  grant application deadline is the same as the Office of Undergraduate Research Summer Undergraduate Research Grant , which typically falls in mid-March with applicants informed of the decision by mid-April.

Eligibility

• Any Northwestern University undergraduate from any major is eligible to apply.
• The Center for Neurogenetics is committed to increasing diversity in biomedical science, and students from underrepresented minorities are particularly encouraged to apply.
• Graduating seniors are not eligible, as students must be returning to undergraduate coursework for the fall term.

Terms & Conditions

• Students can only be awarded one NG 2 summer internship grant during their academic career, but they can hold both a summer and an academic-year NG 2 grant over the course of their undergraduate career.
• During the 10-week grant period, students cannot also have an internship, take classes or work (even part time).
• Students must notify the Office of Undergraduate Research before they accept any additional funding during the period covered by this grant.

For more information, please contact Steven Lubbe, PhD, at [email protected] .

NSF-Simons Center for Quantitative Biology logo

Beginning June 19, 2023

Quantitative Biology Undergraduate Summer Research Program

Participants attended activities such as, weekly workshops covering communication, design, ethics, teamwork, and entrepreneurship; a day trip to a local museum or Argonne National Laboratory; a presentation on applying to graduate school; and other cohort outings.

This program was supported by the NSF-Simons Center for Quantitative Biology and the Northwestern Research Training Grant in Quantitative Biological Modeling. 

Application 

Please follow the link here to the full application instructions.  https://northwestern.edu/quantitativebiologyreu/application/

Eligibility

To be considered for this program, applicants had to be currently be enrolled as a freshman, sophomore, or junior with demonstrated interests in the life sciences, engineering, mathematics, statistics, or physics. Open to US citizens or permanent residents.

Expectations

• Participants were expected to spend 37.5 hours a week researching with a participating faculty member’s research group for 8-weeks between June 19 – August 12, 2023. (Dates can be flexible to accommodate your university/college’s spring term/quarter end date and fall term/quarter start date.)
• Participants agreed not to take on any other research grants for any part of the eight-week period, and must not be enrolled in courses for any part of that period.
• Participants presented at the end of summer symposium. Presentation options are a 15-minute slide presentation, a 3-minute recorded video, or a poster presentation. Symposium will include program directors, investigators, scholars, and members.

See an e xample summer program schedule here.

The 2020 Virtual Summer Program Schedule: 2020_Virtual_SURP_Schedule

Student Experience

Read about alumna Annamarie Leske’s experience in blog post, “How to apply to and thrive in quantitative biology REUs”, https://blogs.ams.org/mathmentoringnetwork/

Example Undergraduate Summer Projects from the 2020 Virtual Program

Recommendations.

Here are a few recommendations to further support your application and your exploration into quantitative biology.

• During the academic year participate in an independent research project with a faculty member at your home institution.
• Take online tutorials (e.g. Data Camp , Coursera) and/or basic computer science courses in programming. The most used programming languages are Matlab, R, Python, C++, and Java.
• For Math majors, take a fundamental course in general, cell, or developmental biology.
• For Biology majors, take a fundamental course in statistics.

Participating Faculty Mentors

2021 cohort.

Chloe Chen, Carnegie Mellon University Matthew Cummings, University of Dayton Sophie Furlow, Northwestern University Annamarie Leske, North Carolina State University May Nguyen, Northwestern University Matthew Sak, University of Kentucky Mete Yuksel, University of Idaho Isabel Zhong, Northwestern University

2020 Cohort

Nathan Burg, University of Illinois, Chicago Olivia Dunne, University of Chicago Karan Gowda, Northwestern University William He, Northwestern University Brian Hsu, Northwestern University Sean Jordan, University of Maryland Saurav Kiri, New College of Florida Christopher Lee, Northwestern University Rohan Mehra, Rutgers University Kelly Paquin, The Ohio State University Gabriel Petersen, Northwestern University

2019 Cohort

Zachary Crispino, Cornell University Robby Gray, Northwestern University Christina Goss, Northwestern University Iurii Gurkov, Hunter College CUNY Alain Kangabire, Northwestern University Zayn Kayali, University of Wisconsin – Madison Sanheet Kodimala, Northwestern University Wenjie Li, Washington University St Louis Angelica Lopez, University of Wisconsin – Madison Sophia Nehs, University of Wisconsin – Madison Nathan White, Northwestern University Zihan Wu, Northwestern University

• Undergraduate Research Programs
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MATERIALS RESEARCH SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING CENTER

Undergraduate opportunities, summer research experience for undergraduates (reu).

June 10 - August 9, 2024 To apply click here Application deadline: Feb. 16, 2024

The Northwestern University Materials Research Science & Engineering Center offers a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program over a 9-week period each summer.

The NU-Materials Research Science and Engineering Center is an interdisciplinary program focused on multi-functional nanoscale material structures.  Over 30 faculty from 7 different departments are involved.  REU students will have the opportunity to contribute to a research project led by a center faculty member and will participate in interdisciplinary research group meetings, expanding their science and engineering experience into a range of fields.  Students with an interest in nanomaterials and majoring in a science or engineering field are encouraged to apply.  Each student will be assigned to a graduate student or post-doctoral associate mentor who will work closely with them.

For an overview of Center research, please visit our  research  section. A list of some  previous projects  is also available. Each summer, a range of projects is available in both experimental and theoretical/simulation fields.

At the end of the REU program, the participants will write a technical paper and give a 15-minute oral presentation on their research at a symposium open to the public. Other program activities include a field trip to a national or industrial lab, a beach party or lunch on the lake for social networking, a panel discussion on graduate school admissions, and seminars by Northwestern faculty and graduate students.

Chicago  is only a half an hour away with easily accessible public transportation, and city events such as the  Taste of Chicago  take place throughout each summer.

REU participants receive a stipend of $6,000, plus on-campus housing and a travel allowance. Since our start date is later than most other REU programs, this is the perfect summer program for students whose schools are on the quarter-system!

While there is no strict GPA requirement, the average GPA of admitted students is typically above 3.5.  However, we do look favorably upon students who can work through adversity.  Most accepted students are rising junior and seniors, though we encourage exceptional younger students who have some independent research experience to apply. You must  not have completed your degree before the program begins.  Due to NSF funding requirements, our program is open only to U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

For further information, contact  [email protected] , 847-467-0470.

Academic-Year Undergraduate Research Internship (URI)

Application deadline: October 31, 2023

The Northwestern University Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (NU-MRSEC) offers an  Academic-Year Undergraduate Research Internship  program. Students have the opportunity to conduct experimental, theoretical or computational research in various areas of materials science within the laboratories of MRSEC-affiliated faculty. For an overview of Center research, please view the MRSEC research  website.

Participants will receive a stipend of $15/hour for the academic year and are expected to work for 10-20 hours a week. To be eligible for this program, you must be a Northwestern undergraduate student majoring in a science or engineering field and be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Participants wishing to receive academic credit for the project they do during the URI program must consult with their departments (most departments will not give academic credit for the same work for which a student receives pay). The internship is compatible with the Federal Work-Study program, but students do not need to be Work-Study eligible to participate.

Please contact [email protected] with any questions.

Click here to download application

COGNITIVE SCIENCE PROGRAM

• Undergraduate
• Summer Research Fellowships

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships

Deadline for Summer 2024 Applications is April 2, 2024.

Questions? Contact  the Director of Undergraduate Studies

The Cognitive Science  Summer   Undergraduate  Research Fellowships  are aimed at providing an important and meaningful  research  experience to  undergraduates  in Cognitive Science and its allied disciplines. The allied disciplines within Cognitive Science at Northwestern are Anthropology, Cognitive Neuroscience, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Computer Science, Learning Sciences, Learning and Organizational Change, Linguistics, Music Cognition, Philosophy, and Psychology.

These  summer   fellowships  provide an opportunity for sustained full-time involvement with faculty-sponsored  research . Students will propose a specific research project to be supervised by a Northwestern faculty member.  Fellows typically work as part of a research team, and will have an opportunity to see how Cognitive Science  research  is done in specific contexts. Please visit our  Research Opportunities  page for a list of Cognitive Science labs that have welcomed undergraduate researchers in the past, and our Affiliated Faculty page for a list of all Northwestern faculty affiliated with the Cognitive Science program.

Who May Apply:   Northwestern Cognitive Science majors and minors. The fellowship program may also consider applications from students majoring in related disciplines who wish to pursue  research  in Cognitive Science.

How to Apply:  

Students should compile an application that contains a research proposal and a personal statement.  They should also secure a letter of recommendation from their faculty sponsor. 

Research Proposal . The applicant should propose a specific project together with an individual faculty advisor. The research proposal should be no more than two pages.  It should include a research question, a short discussion briefly connecting this question to previous research, a proposed method, and discussion of the potential implications of this study.

Personal Statement . The application should also include a brief one page personal statement about the student's Cognitive Science interests and current career plan beyond  undergraduate  study.

Letter of Recommendation . The student’s faculty advisor should write a brief (one page or less) letter endorsing the student’s proposed project and confirming their willingness to serve as the student’s faculty supervisor during the summer research period.

Applications and letters of recommendation should be emailed to the Director of Undergraduate Studies at [email protected] .  Please include “Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship” in the subject line.

Fellowships  will be awarded on a competitive basis. Each fellow will receive a $4,000 stipend to cover living expenses* for eight weeks of full-time research on an independent research project, under faculty supervision. Students and faculty can arrange their research schedules to fit their project. Students awarded the Cognitive Science Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship may not also receive a NU Summer Undergraduate Research Grant for the same project. Students will have an opportunity to present their research to the Cognitive Science Community. 

*Note that the Office of Undergraduate Research does not provide summer housing. If staying in Evanston, many students leverage resources from  Off-Campus Living to identify summer sublets.

Global and Research Opportunities at Northwestern University

Login / logout, error message, search form, sloan-kettering summer undergraduate research program.

Students in the program have the opportunity to: obtain hands-on research experience in cutting edge laboratories; interact with faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students; attend a weekly luncheon/seminar series of presentations by faculty; attend skills/development workshops to hone presentation skills, interview skills, etc.; attend and present at works-in-progress sessions with the cohort of SURP students; present their research at a special poster session at the end of the ten-week program... The current explosion in knowledge driving recent progress in diagnosis and treatment of human disease reflects the vitality of ongoing research within the context of laboratory science at Sloan-Kettering Institute. Students will learn from scientists conducting research in: developmental biology and genetics; signals and pathways involved in the control of cell proliferation; cell-cell interactions, adhesion, and protein targeting; tumor immunology, immunotherapy, and transplantation biology; genomic integrity and human cancer genetics; drug development, drug resistance, and clinical therapeutics; chemical biology and structural biology; computational biology.

Basic Information

Opportunity type: .

• Grant or Fellowship, Lab Experience, Research Assistant

Opportunity Timeframe: 

• Northwestern Summer Session

Opportunity Location: 

Location map: , requirements & prerequisites, participants: .

• Undergraduate Students

Language Requirement: 

Academic information, course credit availability: , subject area(s): .

• Computing and Mathematics, Engineering, Natural Sciences

Keyword Descriptors: 

• Domestic, summer grant, External Fellowship, Lab Research

Financial Information

Funding availability: , contact information, contact name: , contact email: , sponsors & partners, nu sponsor: , international and/or external opportunity partners: , wildcard group, northwestern run opportunity: , global opportunity: , elective topic: .

DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

• Undergraduate
• Research Opportunities

Undergraduate Research Opportunities

Political science research.

It can be hard to know where to begin with research. This video, courtesy of  Northwestern’s Office of Undergraduate Research , outlines research paths in Political Science.

• What ideas interest you when you think about politics?
• How can you convert an interest into a project?
• How do you ask for faculty mentorship?
• Is there a research method that would best fit your project's goals?

Take advantage of several exciting research opportunities, ranging from collaboration with faculty to engaging in your own research.

Political Science Department Opportunities

Farrell Fellowship In our competitive research mentorship program, Political Science majors work alongside professors on faculty-generated research projects. As paid research assistants, Farrell Fellow receive in-depth research training and learn the process of conducting academic research from faculty mentors.

Ginsberg Undergraduate Research Grants Have an idea of your own for a research project? Ginsberg Grants support student-initiated projects conducted in the collaboration with a Political Science faculty member.

Honors Thesis Did a class or experience inspire you to think more deeply about a topic? Paired with a faculty advisor, conduct your own research and write an honors thesis in the political science honors program.

Additional research opportunities

Northwestern offers a range of opportunities for undergraduate students to get involved in conducting research. Political Science students are encouraged to explore the variety of research opportunities available throughout Northwestern. Some of the research opportunities and resources that Political Science students commonly purus include:

• Opportunities and resources offered by the Northwestern Office of Undergraduate Research: t he Office of Undergraduate Research offers the Undergraduate Research Assistant Program (URAP) for students to gain research experience through working with faculty; research grants during the summer and academic year for students to pursue their own research; and advising and resources on finding research opportunities or working on your own research project.
• Research programs offered by other departments and research centers, such as the Institute for Policy Research's Summer Undergraduate Research Assistant Program and the Chabraja Center for Historical Studies' Leopold Fellowship .

Kaitlyn Hung

by vls0546 | Apr 18, 2024 | Student Feature

Which grant that you received do you want to talk about? Summer URG

Please provide a brief summary of your research. My project investigated why certain tissues are more susceptible to protein-misfolding diseases like Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s Disease. I identified genes that alter the ability to maintain protein homeostasis differently in different tissues. I use C. elegans, a microscopic nematode with a short lifespan and transparent body that allows me to visually watch individual proteins with colorful tags. My project’s findings illustrate that while maintaining protein homeostasis is essential to every tissue, individual components can differ from tissue to tissue, contributing to different susceptibilities to protein-misfolding diseases.

What made you initially interested in researching your project in particular? I’m interested in the biological processes underlaying aging and age-related diseases. My project gets to the heart of this by looking at proteins, the basic molecular machines that carry out the processes we need to survive. Many labs focus on studying an individual tissue, and this project allowed me to more broadly understand how tissues vary. I also wanted to learn to work with a new model organism and C. elegans are frequently used to study aging biology.

What made you interested in pursuing (interdisciplinary) research more broadly? Coming to Northwestern, I was interested in science but didn’t want to practice medicine. I wasn’t sure what other paths I could pursue until the professors in some of my earliest science classes talked about their research. I was excited to learn that I could apply the basic principles I was learning in class to discover something new to improve the world. When I started doing research, I was shocked that you could physically perform experiments and investigate interesting questions about biological concepts as a career!

Describe your experiences with research thus far. Was it tricky? What skills do you think you’ve gained? Through my research project, I’ve gained technical skills in learning new genetic techniques and working with a different model organism. I’ve also learned to efficiently plan, carry out, troubleshoot, and communicate a research project, with the support of mentors. I grew through navigating challenges, like having to pivot my project midway through the summer due to unexpected changes in mentorship.

Any tips or advice you have for students similar to you that are interested in pursuing undergraduate research? Jump in! You never know until you try it, and even if research isn’t your thing long-term, there are valuable skills to be gained. You are never stuck–you can always change research projects and labs if you discover interests in a different field, or if the environment isn’t a good fit. The hardest step is the first one!

What is something that you could give a 10 min presentation on right off the cuff? “The Big 5” (Pacific Northwest Trees)

What was your favorite childhood story (written, spoken, or film)? My Neighbor Totoro

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Summer 2024 Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program Participants Announced

Northwestern sets tuition, fees and financial aid for 2024-2025 academic year

• University News

Northwestern University announced a 3.5% increase in undergraduate tuition for the 2024-2025 school year and an increase of more than 6.2% in undergraduate financial aid to $307 million.

The total cost for undergraduates living on campus will be $89,448. Undergraduate tuition will be $67,158; standard room and board will be $21,126; and fees will be $1,164. Tuition and fees fund a wide variety of student instruction and support, as well as world-class faculty and research, enhancing the student experience for all. Room and board rates support residential and dining services and staff.

The undergraduate student health and wellness, activity and athletics fees support a variety of services for students. The $828 student health and wellness fee goes toward recently improved and expanded student health and wellness programs, while the $270 activity fee supports student organizations and amenities. The $66 athletics fee allows undergraduates to attend all home athletics events.

Northwestern provides almost $307 million in undergraduate financial aid — a 57% increase in funding since 2018 — the vast majority of which supports students with demonstrated need and those from middle-income families. More than 60% of undergraduates receive financial aid. 

“At Northwestern, we are committed to providing a world-class education to the most talented students, regardless of their financial situation,” Provost Kathleen Hagerty said. “Every year, we allocate the University’s financial aid resources equitably in order to open doors and opportunities for students who need it most.” 

For all undergraduates who are eligible to receive financial aid, the University will continue its 2016 policy to meet cost-of-attendance needs without loans as part of the financial aid package. Their financial need will be met with a combination of grants, scholarships, summer earnings expectations and work-study opportunities.

Editor’s Picks

Redevelopment of Norris University Center’s East Lawn to begin this summer

‘the night watchman’ named next one book selection, six northwestern faculty named 2024 guggenheim fellows, related stories.

Northwestern football ‘staying home’ with temporary enhancements to the Lanny and Sharon Martin facility on lakefront

Three promoted in business and finance division.

• GHS Advising

PROGRAM IN GLOBAL HEALTH STUDIES

Ghs faculty members sarah rodriguez and sokhieng au each awarded nu undergraduate research grant.

October 24, 2023

• Graduate & Professional
• Learning and Organizational Change
• Knowledge Exchange Blog

More Human, More Tech: Takeaways from Midwest Change Conference

Here are three of my key takeaways related to using technology enable greater humanity and using humanity to drive greater impact through technology.

Treat AI as a tool (not a weapon) and a colleague (not a competitor).

Technology and Digital Transformation is a “Top Change on Horizon” according to Prosci research. No surprise there. More novel was how Prosci’s Tim Creasey and several other presenters shared specific ways artificial intelligence (AI), among other technologies, is enabling change managers to work with and through people. As Creasey shared, “AI is not an oracle you ask questions to, it’s an intern you give instructions to. The better the instructions, the better the work.” And in their session, Stephanie Douglas, Ph.D. & Dr. James E. Sutton III from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University talked about how AI can enhance our understanding and application of what people think and feel. In other words, AI is a great tool for sentiment analysis – let's get data from real people and have our AI colleague help us get to the crux of what those people need and want, thereby facilitating more informed decision-making. 

Co-create deeper connection and psychological safety by aligning technology with culture.

During the closing panel, Michelle Yanahan from ChangeFit 360 spoke of the importance of psychological safety and people’s need to know, do, and feel. Most often we focus our attention, and thus our tools and technologies, on the first two (knowing and doing). Psychological safety depends on having the space to feel and having our feelings understood. As with the sentiment analysis example above, technology is among several important tools for greater understanding and informed action. Yanahan also spoke of opportunities for co-creation across change management work, understanding as well as normalizing change resistance, and enabling people not just to buy in but drive change work forward. Yanahan’s fellow panelist Cameron Cammarata from Northwestern Mutual spoke about integrating tools and systems for connecting people, making connections and processes easier and better. From knowledge management to project management and many systems in between, we know that if we can deeply understand and align our culture, our humans, and our systems, we can drive both greater performance and greater satisfaction. 

Make change easier to chew on, swallow, and digest.

Panelist Hilary Lee from Centric Consulting stoked our appetites by encouraging us to enable a change culture through small moves. Changes that are “appetizer, tapas, or nugget-sized" can help us build change into our daily work without making our colleagues feel overstuffed or like the organization’s eyes are bigger than its stomach. Taking this philosophy to the people requires thoughtful use of technology that is responsive to the places and ways people are already working. As MSLOC alum Mark Henry, from Do Even Better, shared in his presentation, “When Change Management Adapts Like the Sales Team,” we must use multiple communication modes well to reach people, just like the best salespeople do. Henry advises to “write to be one-click forwarded,” bringing together these ideas of both finding people where they are and making it easy for them to consume and share.

I appreciated hearing each of these leaders and practitioners share specific examples of bringing technology to people, and people to technology, in real and complex ways that work. In our MSLOC courses and communities, we embrace this necessary complexity and work to equip ourselves and each other to integrate these skills and practices. Today's successful change managers must be ready to serve as knowledge managers, facilitators, leadership developers, coaches, designers, learning designers, project managers, and more. Doing so requires their deep understanding of how people work and the acuity with tools that make that work possible.

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY

Physics and astronomy welcomes new faculty member.

April 15, 2024

Undergraduates to design robots for Appalachia’s challenges at WVU summer research program

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

From experimenting with robots that off-road autonomously down country roads, to designing drones that can fly through Appalachia’s dense forest canopies, students who join the WVU Undergraduate Research Experience this summer will do hands-on, real-world work aimed at solving the problems of remote mountain communities. (WVU Photo/Guilherme Pereira)

Starting this summer, undergraduate students will perform hands-on, cutting-edge robotics research that solves real-world problems in Appalachia while working in the five robotics labs at West Virginia University .

The WVU Research Experience for Undergraduates program is funded by a $454,000 grant from the National Science Foundation and is accepting applications from undergraduates in the U.S. through May 10.

Participants in the 10-week program, which starts May 20, will perform experimental research that responds to several challenges of using mobile robotics for field applications within rural environments like Appalachia’s dense forests and harsh terrains.

Mentored by faculty members from the robotics program within the WVU Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources , the undergraduates will conduct independent research in areas such as drone navigation in forests, using autonomous blimps to monitor a farm or helping robots make decisions when driving on forest trails.

“This project aims to open opportunities for participants, largely from the Appalachian region, to use robotics as a tool to enable change,” said Jason Gross , principal investigator, REU site director, and associate professor and chair of the Department of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering .

“As an NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates site, we’ll be investigating practical questions that must be addressed to enable the use of robotics in rural settings like much of Appalachia. We are excited that the project focuses on robotics application domains that are relevant to the state and region and that we have this opportunity to explore how robotics can better contribute to the WVU land-grant mission.”

Students from institutions in Appalachia are especially encouraged to apply.

Application reviews will start immediately and positions will be filled on a rolling basis .

According to Gross, participants will study how a drone can fly through vegetation, how to track GPS under a forest canopy and how robotics can adapt swarming behaviors from models found in nature, among other topics critical to building robots that can function in remote, mountainous regions.

For example, Gross explained, “Flying drones is complicated under forest canopies because the availability and quality of the Global Navigation Satellite System are hindered by the signal attenuation of dense forests. On the other hand, this presents an interesting problem, because GNSS is not completely unavailable for use — it can be made available when going above tree cover. Since the nature of tree cover is that some light shines through, students who work on this problem will explore solutions like pairing a fisheye camera with GNSS signals to predict signal quality.”

Guilherme Pereira , associate professor in the Department of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering, is co-principal investigator and associate director of the REU site. Pereira pointed to the fact that although important management and preservation activities in Appalachian forests rely on surveying large areas to detect invasive species, fires and tree diseases, current surveying approaches are limited.

“Surveying of our forests is limited in scale by human resources,” Pereira said. “It’s limited by safety when it’s done with manned airplanes and it’s limited by accuracy when we rely on satellite imagery. To overcome these limitations, the use of drones flying under the canopy of the forests has been suggested — but flying in a forest is challenging both due to the large number of unmapped obstacles that need to be avoided and the presence of small flexible obstacles like leaves and twigs that can trap the drone.

“Our student researchers will solve this problem by developing a resilient, intelligent drone that can collide with obstacles to classify them. Once the objects are classified, the drone can deal with them by avoiding or pushing them away.”

All students receive a $700 weekly stipend in addition to coverage of their lodging, meals, travel and training. The program will host ten students a year over the summers of 2024, 2025 and 2026.

Applicants will have the opportunity to specify their research interests and to be assigned to work with mentors including Gross, Pereira, professor Yu Gu , assistant professor Nicholas Szczecinski , research assistant professor Cagri Kilic , assistant professor Xi Yu and teaching assistant professor Dimas Abreu Archanjo Dutra in the WVU Navigation Lab , Field and Aerial Robotics Laboratory , Neuro-Mechanical Intelligence Laboratory , Autonomous Multi-Agent Systems Lab and Interactive Robotics Laboratory .

“The undergraduates who join us this summer will conduct independent research on problems with significant societal impact,” Gross said. “They’ll participate in panel discussions, weekly research presentations, a research symposium, and many other activities — but most of all they will advance the state of the art of mobile robotics.”

Find the program application.

MEDIA CONTACT: Micaela Morrissette Research Writer WVU Research Communications 304-709-6667; [email protected]

Call 1-855-WVU-NEWS for the latest West Virginia University news and information from  WVUToday .

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Northwestern CS Announces Winter 2024 Outstanding Teaching Assistant and Peer Mentors

The quarterly department awards recognize exceptional service to the cs community.

Northwestern Computer Science honors and recognizes students who demonstrate excellence in computer science mentoring and teaching with the Peter and Adrienne Barris Outstanding Teaching Assistant and Outstanding Peer Mentor awards. Seven students were cited in winter 2024.

Nominated by any member of the department for service to the CS community that goes beyond expectations, the teaching assistants and peer mentors work with faculty to deliver courses and support of the highest quality.

Shu-Hung You

You was named the Peter and Adrienne Barris Outstanding Teaching Assistant for the winter 2024 quarter in recognition of his service to students in the COMP_SCI 111: Fundamentals of Computer Programming course. He is a PhD candidate in computer science at the McCormick School of Engineering specializing in the theory of programming languages.

“Shu-hung has consistently made incredible contributions to CS 111 over the past several years. He goes far above and beyond what is required and asked of him,” a nominator said. “He is an excellent resource for advanced students who want to discuss more advanced topics in programming languages. We will miss him dearly when he finishes his PhD.”

You is coadvised by Northwestern Engineering professor of computer science Robby Findler and assistant professor of computer science Christos Dimoulas .

You’s research interests include designing language features that ensure correct validation of program behavior, implementing programming languages, building abstract machines, and experimenting with compilers for functional languages.

He is currently working on behavioral boundaries, a theoretical foundation for specifying and comparing contract systems. Behavioral boundaries are a syntactic device that re-structure the common formal model of higher-order contract systems into interposition and monitoring subsystems.

Winter 2024 Outstanding Peer Mentors

The Northwestern CS peer mentor program is designed to ensure that students representing a range of computing backgrounds receive individual attention and real-time feedback.

“Max is very good at debugging and explaining errors in logic,” a nominator said. “He is excellent at explaining the theory and basis behind a lot of the nitty-gritty details in code.”

Glass is a software engineer with the Campus Sleep Initiative , a student-run organization dedicated to bettering the lives of students by raising awareness surrounding sleep health. He is developing CatNap, a mobile app to help Northwestern students re-prioritize their sleep.

A member of Northwestern's Financial Tech Club , Glass is interested in systems-level software and quantitative finance and plans to pursue a career in software development.

“Receiving the Outstanding Peer Mentor Award is important to me because it affirms that I have made a positive impact on my peers and hopefully I have improved their learning as a result,” Glass said.

Charles Kalousek

“Computer science students need to understand how to approach difficult, multifaceted problems throughout their careers and, as peer mentors, we try to guide students in the right direction by creating diagrams, writing pseudo-code, and questioning their thought process,” Kalousek said.

Nominators in the COMP_SCI 211: Fundamentals of Computer Programming II course highlighted his ability to clarify assignments.

“Charles is consistently helpful in his explanations of both conceptual ideas in code and the debugging process,” a nominator said. “He gives suggestions that are genuinely helpful and is very good at guiding your thinking process to the right point so you can find the answer somewhat on your own.”

Kalousek, who has supported CS 211 for the past three quarters, appreciates the opportunity to pay it forward.

“I am beyond grateful for the recognition, but more importantly I am so glad to have had a positive impact on the students’ learning,” he said. “The peer mentor program has been a tremendous support for me and it’s very fulfilling to provide that support for other students.”

Kalousek is co-president of Northwestern’s Theme Park Engineering and Design Group , a club for themed entertainment and roller coaster enthusiasts to network and collaborate through projects, competitions, and professional development opportunities.

This summer, Kalousek will start an internship with Cat Digital, the digital and technology division of Caterpillar Inc.

Elysia Lopez

“Elysia has been a fantastic peer mentor. In addition to being a generally kind, open, and friendly person, she has a wealth of computer science knowledge,” a nominator said. “She was quick to respond with any question that I had and was willing to work with me even outside of office hours.”

Lopez explained that peer mentors support students through the “ups and downs” of computer science courses. She seeks to make connections to students’ existing knowledge to impart new concepts.

“I’m so honored that I’ve been able to make even a small difference in helping out my peers,” Lopez said. “Teaching and CS are my passions, and to receive such positive feedback truly means the world to me.”

A short fiction writer and fan of fantasy novels, Lopez is focused on learning web development and technologies that enable her to weave storytelling into software. She’s also interested in diving deeper into the realm of educational technology software development.

Lopez is a member of Kaibigan — which means "friend" in Tagalog — the Philippine-American Student Association that builds community through events such as the Pinoy Show, a cultural event that includes live music, dance, skits, and student-made videos.

Nicholas Qiu

“Nick has always gone above and beyond when helping me and always made sure I got the help I needed whenever I was struggling,” a nominator said. “He is a big reason why I’ve been doing well in my classes. He cares deeply about the students and helping others and is overall a great peer mentor.”

Qiu, a second-year student in computer science at Northwestern Engineering who is also studying mathematical methods in the social sciences at Weinberg, is encouraged by this award to continue serving as a peer mentor and helping others.

“Being a peer mentor means I get to guide and advise my current peers in a more explicit fashion, something that I’ve always been passionate about,” Qiu said. “I get to help students through coursework and concepts that I spent time figuring out myself, to make it easier for them to get through the initial learning curve that many students get stuck in.”

Qiu is a member of the spring 2024 cohort of resident teams at The Garage at Northwestern . His team is building Convident, an AI-powered language learning app that aims to advance intermediate speakers' language proficiency through personalized learning milestones, a curated selection of resources, and an emphasis on meaningful conversations and cultural understanding.

Qiu also serves as treasurer of Northwestern’s Chinese Students Association , a student organization that promotes awareness of Chinese culture and hosts social and networking events.

Catherine Tawadros

Tawadros is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science at Weinberg with a minor in data science. She provided “friendly and kind” support to students in the COMP_SCI 349: Machine Learning course.

“She was willing to stay past her scheduled hours to help students even when office hours were busiest,” a nominator said.

Celina Zhao

Zhao is a fourth-year student in computer science at Northwestern Engineering who is also earning a minor in data science and engineering and a financial economics certificate from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management . She was described as an “outstanding member” of the course staff for a particularly large section of CS 349.

As a peer mentor, Zhao builds a collaborative environment and provides guidance, support, and encouragement. She aims to explain course material in an approachable manner, including helping students visualize concepts and utilizing code snippets.

"Receiving this honor reflects my desire to make learning enjoyable and accessible for students, following the positive impact of peer mentors who guided me throughout my learning experience," Zhao said.

Following graduation, Zhao plans to join Microsoft as a software engineer.

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