Current opportunities at UAF
There are many ways for undergraduate students to get involved in research at UAF!
In addition to URSA funding, several other organizations at UAF, within the UA System,
and outside Alaska offer opportunities for our undergraduate students. Don't be afraid
to reach out to researchers, organizations, and institutes in your field to make a
connection and inquire about future opportunities! On this page we have provide information
about UAF organizations that regularly offer opportunities for funding and/or project
support. If you are looking to join an established project with faculty, staff, or
graduate students at UAF, see the list of opportunities listed below.
If you need assistance contacting individuals or organizations, please reach out! We are more than happy to help you connect with potential opportunities.
Projects Seeking Undergraduate Participation
New listings are posted when received.
Contact: Oivind Toien
Research Assistant Professor, Institute of Arctic Biology
Email: otoien@alaska.edu
Looking for 2 students (sophomore - senior standing)
This INBRE funded research project will provide critical information that advances understanding of physiological systems that support a metabolically suppressed state in a human-sized animal during natural hibernation (75% suppression with only 5.5 °C decrease in body temperature, Toien et al. 2011, Science 331:906-909). This will be accomplished by analyzing a unique and very large set of already recorded cardiovascular data in hibernating and non-hibernating bears. The project will analyze these data for beat-to-beat heart rate variability, which is an indicator of parasympathetic activity - the neural output that slows the heart. The data set contains a wide range of physiological parameters that will provide a broader insight on the cardiovascular system and vigilance states of bears during hibernation, and can also be related to video recordings and already published data on metabolic rate.
In addition to the help with the analysis, the project will provide unique opportunities to get familiar with the hibernation research, where UAF is a leading institution. While a basic background in biology/chemistry is required, we are seeking students with additional diverse backgrounds and interests that can benefit the project. We are in particular interested in good computer skills. The modified open source software used for the analysis currently runs under Windows.
Prerequisites: BIOL 115/116 and CHEM 105/106
Time Commitment: Ideally 10 hours per week total of 360 hours per student in the 2024-25 academic year.
Compensation: $18/hour
Deadline to contact: Friday, October 11, 2024
Contact: Julie Avery
Research Assistant Professor
Email: jpavery@alaska.edu
We are setting up the workshops to be held with community members in Fairbanks and Anchorage. We would like to have a student help support the meetings, take notes during the meeting, and work with us to develop an iterative process for engaging community groups with Lactation and Perinatal Nutrition Research in Alaska.
Project Abstract:
Nutrition is an essential component of maternal (women and non-binary pregnant persons) and child health with increased nutrient requirements in pregnancy to support both maternal health and provide required building blocks for fetal growth and development. Maternal and fetal mortality rates are substantially increased in those with co-morbidities such as obesity and diabetes. Importantly, these two conditions are modifiable through nutrition intervention. However, research and interventions are most relevant and effective when undertaken in a truly equitable and collaborative manner, particularly in the culturally and ethnically diverse population of Alaska who depend on both store-bought and wild foods for healthy and adequate nutrition.
Interdisciplinary researchers at the University of Alaska (UA) are building a Community Advisory Board (CAB) for establishing collaborative and equitable nutrition research supporting the unique needs of Alaska communities in Maternal Child Health (MCH). Our focus is to not duplicate efforts, but to bring together community members and health professionals with UA researchers to facilitate equitable health research through “involvement of community members, organizational representatives, and researchers in all aspects of the research process” termed Community Based Participatory Research.
Our equity-based approach for CAB development will be to (a) support community as a unit of identity, (b) build on existing community resources, (c) promote co-learning and reflection among all partners, (d) focus on addressing community-defined problems (e) identify opportunities for balanced research actions that benefit the community and advance science, (f) facilitate consistent dissemination of knowledge among all partners as desired by communities, (g) establish an iterative and adaptable process for research and community partnership with defined periods of self-reflection, learning, and adaption of the research goals to address community needs, and (h) develop a support structure that facilitates and maintains long-term participation by all partners (modified from Holkup et al 2004).
Contact: Gwen Hennon
Assistant Professor, Biological Oceanography
Email: gmhennon@alaska.edu
Looking for 1 student (Sophomore-Senior Standing).
Our lab is interested in how phytoplankton can adapt and acclimate to climate change (hennonlab.com). We have isolated phytoplankton strains from the Northern Gulf of Alaska and we would like to characterize their growth rates over a range of temperatures to see how flexible these species are in dealing with a range of conditions. We are also interested in growing these phytoplankton longer term to see if they can adapt to higher temperature waters over time and measure rates of evolutionary change. Phytoplankton grow very quickly, around 1 generation per day, so we could possibly see evolutionary change after 4-5 months of maintaining them in culture.
This project could also provide data for a capstone or undergraduate thesis or count towards the internship requirement for CFOS students.
Prerequisites: A student would ideally be studying biology or environmental sciences, with a preference for students who are in oceanography, marine biology or fisheries concentrations. Students would need to have a willingness to learn sterile culturing techniques and comfort with using spreadsheet software such as excel.
Time Commitment: This project would likely require around 6 hours per week and last for most of the academic year. Ideally this project would start Fall 2024, but I am flexible in terms of start and could imagine a Spring 2025 semester start as well.
Compensation: I do not have funding for this project, but I'm happy to assist you in writing a proposal to get support. I am willing to mentor a student in applying to any funding sources, I think the Climate Change Project funding opportunity would be particularly relevant.
Contact: Stephanie Crawford
Research Professional, Water and Environmental Research Center (WERC)
Email: sgcrawford@alaska.edu
Looking for 1 student (Freshman-Senior Standing).
I received a grant to examine 900 seabird muscle samples for mercury concentration. There are 17 species included in the broad study. I would work with the student to select a focal species (or guild) of interest to them that would become the focus of their sub-study (they would not be expected to analyze all 900 specimens). Depending upon the species chosen, comparisons could be made over time (2009-2023) and/or space (Aleutian Island groups and St. Mathew Island). The student would learn how to operate a mercury analyzer in our lab (Marine Ecotoxicology and Trophic Assessment Laboratory), maintain data records in a laboratory notebook and electronically, and summarize data into graphs and tables. Statistical analyses will be coached depending upon the student's background/grade level.
We are a highly-collaborative lab, involved in a wide variety of research projects centered around contaminants in the marine food web. This would be a great opportunity to work around faculty, staff, graduate students, and other undergraduates with a similar interest, and potentially find a role in other projects after the completion of the seabird project.
Research Project Description:
The Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands are undergoing rapid environmental changes. Large-scale summer seabird mortality events (SMEs) in this region of Alaska were rare before 2015, but have since become annual events. Although nutritional stress (emaciation) has been identified as a primary cause of mortality in these events, we are focused upon quantifying the effect of other contributing factors, specifically the exposure to ubiquitous environmental contaminants (e.g., mercury and microplastic-derived phthalate compounds) that are well-documented to have negative effects upon individual survival and reproduction. Previous research from the Marine Ecotoxicology and Trophic Assessment Laboratory (METAL) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) has demonstrated substantial spatial variability in biotic mercury concentrations across the Aleutian Archipelago and Bering Sea. Mercury concentrations in some upper trophic level marine predators from this region exceed known toxicity thresholds. Prior studies identified a doubling in the mercury concentrations of seabird livers between 1982–1985 and 2008–2010 in the Bering Sea, to levels of moderate toxicity risk for some species. Increasing mercury concentrations in the years prior to the onset of summer SMEs illustrates the need to better understand the ecological context of regional SMEs, including the potential roles of contaminants. Here, we aim to capitalize on a unique archive of seabird tissues representing 17 species sampled across 15 years (n=959 total). Not only does this assemblage of seabird tissues comprise the most-complete, longitudinal dataset of its kind, the extensive archive comes with corresponding information regarding demographics, morphometrics (body condition), bulk stable isotopes (trophic assessment), and additional contaminant measurements (phthalates). Thus, we have a unique opportunity to quantify mercury concentrations in non-SME seabird muscle tissues collected prior to, during, and since the onset of the now-annual, large-scale SMEs affecting numerous seabird species in Alaska.
Prerequisites: Not officially. Preferred interest in biology, ecology, marine biology, seabirds, contaminants, and/or exotoxicology. Some important qualities are the ability/comfort to ask questions when not understanding or encountering a new situation, work independently once trained, communicate any deviations from lab schedule, and to maintain a clean and organized workspace as this is a shared research laboratory.
Time Commitment: The student could begin as early as October in the laboratory. We could start earlier Fall 2024 to plan student involvement and the student could conduct a literature review prior to starting laboratory work. Laboratory work and data summary would continue through Spring 2025.
Compensation: Unpaid, but willing and happy to mentor an URSA Funding proposal that benefits the broader research project and that is of interest to the student as well.
Deadline to Contact: December 31, 2024
Contact: Mike Hull
Assistant Professor of Physics
Email: mmhull2@alaska.edu
Looking for two (2) students (Freshman-Senior Standing).
I am looking for a student for each of two projects:
1) How do students reason about radioactivity? This would involve analysis of quantitative
data (student responses to a survey probing their understanding of radioactivity)
2) What do students find interesting in their physics lessons? This would involve
qualitative content analysis (student reports about what they found to be most interesting
in their class each week).
Prerequisites: None- an interest in how students learn and an eagerness to grow in data analysis techniques is beneficial.
Time Commitment: These positions are available to start ASAP with a flexible workload and end date.
Compensation: This position is currently unfunded. The mentor would be willing to provide technical support to students interested in applying for project funding.
Contact: Carol Gray
Assistant Professor of Political Science
Email: cjgray5@alaska.edu
Looking for up to 4 students of any standing (Freshman-Senior).
*This is an ongoing project and will accept interest past the Spring 2024 listed date.*
Time Commitment: Minimum of 10 hours per week though, if funding is provided, I would be open to students working more hours if they chose to.
Compensation: This position is unpaid. But I am happy to have interns as volunteers or if they are able to obtain grants through URSA or otherwise. I would be happy to mentor a student who is funded through URSA or some other mechanism.
Additional Position Information:
Students would learn about archiving, historical research, and the politics and context of the anti-slavery movement from the 1800s in Canada and the U.S. Through weekly meetings with the professor, students learn about how archival research unfolds and would be part of creating a valuable data base that could be used by historians and other researchers working on civil and human rights for years to come.
When this internship was conducted at a different institution (not in Alaska), interns who worked on this project did independent research that they presented at a professional conference. I am not sure whether such opportunities would be available here in Fairbanks, but there might be some conferences that are virtual that students might apply to. I would be happy to mentor students in crafting an abstract and submitting a conference proposal.
Contact: Lynda McGilvary
Geophysical Institute, Communications Director
Email: lmmcgilvary@alaska.edu
For this grant-funded position, we would leverage the student’s area of expertise and their future career goals to provide opportunities for the student to gain workforce experience and build their CV. Students with STEM content knowledge could assist in conceptualizing and developing curricula and videos that are used by teachers across Alaska and beyond. In addition to that work, the students may be asked to assist in planning and staffing education and outreach events, performing administrative tasks, and field-testing activities designed for K-12 students. There are opportunities for rural Alaska travel associated with the position (depending on student’s availability around their academic schedule).
Requirements: Strong background/interest in STEM or K-12 education, multicultural background or interest, strong computer skills, strong communications skills including grammar, spelling, punctuation. Preference will be given to anyone with a background living or working in rural Alaska communities or anyone with a career interest in K-12 education.
Compensation: Salary is DOE, from $16.15 to $18.18/hr.
Deadline to Contact: This position will remain open until filled.
Contact: Sarah Stanley
Faculty, English Department
Email: sstanley2@alaska.edu
Phone: (907) 474-7335
The InsideOut StoryLab is starting to receive submissions from prisoners for a Boundaries and Bridges Story Collection. The InsideOut StoryLab: Boundaries and Bridges is a story collection from both incarcerated and unconfined writers to be distributed by portable story dispensers inside and outside of carceral settings in Alaska.
- Type up handwritten submissions
- Write response letters submissions
- Evaluate submissions
- Work with a submission database
We are always in process with collections. This is a chance to get involved with community publishing from the ground up. Sarah (your mentor) is an excellent letter writer for a recommendation. Reach out and get involved!
This position listing is looking for up to 3 students (Freshman-Senior Standing).
Prerequisites: None
Compensation: We can work on writing a grant for this--let us know your interest. Open to mentoring
students who apply for funding through URSA or other campus entities (especially a
student that wants to put together a Community-Engaged Learning award for our next
collection).
Contact: Thomas Kelly
Phone: 774-238-0779
Email: tbkelly@alaska.edu
Looking for four students (Freshman-Senior standing).
Alaska's marine resources are among our most valuable for in both commercial and cultural value. With AMDOC we seek to better understand the marine environment use state of the art satellite tools. First, we will merge field data with satellites to provide better estimates of biomass and productivity in Alaskan waters. Next, our improved measurements will be integrated into fishery forecasting models to allow for more accurate predictions and new insights into how fisheries (and the ecosystem) are changing.
Prerequisites: A passion to learn new skills and share the results of the work with peers and the Alaskan public. Familiarity to computers and excel would be helpful, but everything can be learned "on the job."
Time Commitment: Hours, duration, and starting dates are completely flexible. Opportunities for at-sea field work are available as well to committed students.
Funding: Paid fellowship opportunities are available.
Mentorship Opportunities: Yes, mentorship for URSA projects available.
Contact: Richard Collins
Faculty, Geophysical Institute & Atmospheric Sciences
Director, Graduate School
Email: rlcollins@alaska.edu
In search of 1 student of any year of study (Freshman through Senior status).
UAF researchers have been studying Earth's highest clouds since the 1990's. These
clouds, called noctilucent (night shining, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Additional Position Information: This job involves working with an archive of tapes that is unique. Students can learn more about noctilucent clouds at the following links.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Noctilucent_cloud - https://www.space.com/
noctilucent-clouds - https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/
weather/learn-about/weather/ types-of-weather/clouds/other- clouds/noctilucent - https://earthsky.org/earth/
night-shining-clouds- noctilucent-clouds-how-they- form-how-to-see-them/
Prerequisites: Student should have basic tech skills be able to manage data files, maintain spreadsheets of information, and have ability and interest to learn media skills.
Time Commitment: Start as soon as possible, running through Fall and Spring. Up to 20 hours a week, with total hours ~200-300 hours. The schedule would depend on access to library tape digitizing equipment, but is otherwise flexible.
Compensation: Student Assistant Grade 2, Step 14: $14.67 an hour
Contact: Simon Zwieback
Faculty, Geosciences
Email: szwieback@alaska.edu.
Contact: Tristan Goers
GIS Technician | Digital Services | Fairbanks North Star Borough
Email: tristan.goers@fnsb.gov
Phone: (907) 459-1477
The Fairbanks North Star Borough is offering an internship opportunity georeferencing imagery for course credit to an undergraduate student. This opportunity involves mosaicking and georeferencing scanned historical imagery of the FNSB and may also involve scripting. This work will be completed over the 2022 spring semester with the final deliverables being (1) georeferenced image tiles, (2) a georeferenced, mosaicked, image, and (3) an image tile index. The final product will be an invaluable resource not only for the Fairbanks North Star Borough but also the public at-large. You will be expected to give, at a minimum, weekly progress reports detailing the work completed, any challenges encountered, and any questions you may have.
Prerequisite: Prior exposure to remote sensing or GIS
Pay: This could be a paid internship, an unpaid project for credit, or both.
Please reach out to us to discuss further details.
Benefits: Valuable real-world experience and skills that are in great demand on the job market.
Rolling Deadline- please contact the opportunity provider listed above for more information.
Contact: Michael Roddewig
Assistant Professor, Geophysical Institute
Phone: 907-474-5936
Email: mrroddewig@alaska.edu
My research is focused on the development and deployment of optical instruments (lidars, cameras, etc.) for remote sensing of the atmosphere and optical oceanography. See https://lrlpfrr.community.uaf.edu/research/ for details on the type of work we do. The ideal candidate would enjoy building neat scientific instruments and also working outdoors. Undergraduates in my lab do not do busy work; they build and deploy real hardware and participate in the deciding the direction of the research.
Position Details:
- Prerequisites: I am not seeking any specific majors. My main prerequisite is a willingness to learn. I also expect a commitment to spend time in the lab and work independently, with supervision as required.
- Time Commitment: 10 hours per week during the semester, full time (40 hours per week) during the summer. These projects are on-going multi-year efforts and I would prefer students who plan to work for multiple years, especially during the summer.
- Pay?: All students in my lab are paid. Some projects have funding available and for others we would seek funding through Alaska Space Grant or students may apply for URSA.
- Deadline to Contact: No deadline. Projects are ongoing and I am happy to accept students at any time.
Contact: Simon Zwieback
Professor Geosciences
Phone: (907) 474-5549
Email: szwieback@alaska.edu
The project seeks to characterize permafrost landscape dynamics following temperature
extremes and a bark beetle outbreak. It combines fieldwork in Alaska, soil analysis
in the lab, and remote sensing data analyses.
You will collect field measurements under supervision of experienced researchers.
Laboratory work will include sample preparation and analysis, and data compilation.
Remote sensing analyses may comprise processing and classification of multispectral
and radar remote sensing imagery, and predictive modeling using machine learning.
How long: 10 to 20 h / week during the semester, up to 40 h / week in summer.
Pay: Yes. Salary is negotiable.
Other benefits: Gain field experience in Northern Alaska, potential for research-based credits.
Contact: Dr. Javier Fochesatto
Phone: 907-474-7602
317 Akasofu Building
Email: gjfochesatto@alaska.edu
Implementation of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) solver oriented to unmanned aircraft systems development. CFD codes are used to numerically solve the fluid the around wings and aircraft body to compute lifting, drag and momentum in dynamic flying conditions and control. Familiarity with C language and Python is preferred.
Contact: Office of Intellectual Property and Commercialization
Phone: 907-474-2605
Email: uaf-oipc@alaska.edu
UAF’s office of Intellectual Property and Commercialization (OIPC) works to identify university innovations, analyze such technologies for marketability and patentability, protect the technologies as intellectual property, and market and license the technologies for the benefit of the public, the university, and our community."
Seeking 2 students, any year of study, willing to learn and work on GIS, climate and
wildlife data.
This project provides opportunities for students to explore and work-up specific forestry
and climate GIS data for birds and habitats in Interior Alaska.
Students will gain experience in learning geographic information systems (GIS, ArcGIS or QGIS), insights into landscape ecology, bird, habitat and climate management issues, and digital data skills for Alaska. Office space, hardware and software provided.
Experience required: R skills would ideal, or at least a willingness to learn
Funding: None provided. Students would need to seek funding from URSA Project application or find another source if they require funding. Project coordinator would help with the process.
Deadline: Ongoing
Opportunities for Students at UAF
UAF organizations that regularly offer opportunities
for funding and/or project support.
Alaska NSF EPSCoR improves Alaska's scientific capacity by engaging in research projects supported through National Science Foundation and state funds. The organization is engaged in a five-year project entitled "Fire & Ice," which examines climate-driven changes to Alaskan wildfire regimes and coastal ecosystems.
Undergraduate Scholarships of up to $1,000 will be awarded through a competitive process. Scholarships are open to new and continuing undergraduate students majoring in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and/or mathematics (STEM). Students receiving awards in past competitions may apply and receive awards for subsequent competitions.
The Biomedical Learning and Student Training program invites undergraduates at UAS, UAF, and Ilisagvik College to submit proposals for summer undergraduate research. Up to $6,000 will be awarded to students who have identified a project and mentor in biomedical or health research.
The overarching goal of BLaST is to enhance undergraduate training and mentoring in biomedical research through increased diversity of students, increased integration of research and teaching, and enhanced integration of rural campuses into a cohesive biomedical community in Alaska. BLaST is one of ten Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) initiatives funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH).
For more information or if you need help identifying a project and/or finding a mentor visit the BLaST Website.
The Alaska Center for Innovation, Commercialization, and Entrepreneurship (Center ICE) is the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Innovation Hub. Through our Innovation Accelerator, we draw from the University of Alaska’s best research to support its development, launch it as a real world solution, and help it scale up. Center ICE also offers the Students2Startups program to place the next generation of leaders at the center of innovation now.
One of the main goals of the Alaska INBRE Network continues to be to increase education and research opportunities for University of Alaska undergraduate and graduate students to guide them into programs and advanced training in the biomedical sciences and to enhance the biomedical infrastructure in Alaska.
Undergraduate Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement (URISE) program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks is a scholarship program funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The goal of the URISE program is to increase the number of well-prepared underrepresented (UR) students who matriculate into high caliber Ph.D. or combined M.D.-Ph.D. programs in the biomedical sciences and eventually go on to research careers.