Applications Open: Summer Research Program for Undergraduates

Update: Applications are closed (as of Feb. 3).

Applications are now open for the 2017 Harvard Forest Summer Research Program, an opportunity for college and university students across the U.S. to participate in 11 weeks (May 22-August 4, 2017) of paid, independent research with mentors from Harvard and other leading institutions.

2017 research projects cover many academic disciplines, including ecology, biogeochemistry, art/design, computer science, conservation policy, history, and engineering.

Research topics include the ecological dimensions of changing forest systems, the development of new systems and sensors for monitoring that change, investigating the impacts of regional forest conservation, and measuring the shifting dynamics of agricultural systems.

Depending on the project, students will conduct field and labwork in old-growth forests, historical archives, art/design studios, biogeochemistry labs, forest study plots that simulate 50 years of climate change; in data-rich computer environments; on research towers; and at Harvard Farm and Henry David Thoreau’s cabin site at Walden.

Participants are housed on-site and, in addition to their research, attend career panels, evening workshops and seminars, and field trips. At the conclusion of the summer, they present their research at a final symposium.

Undergraduate students from all majors are encouraged to apply (deadline: February 3, 2017).

• Apply for the Summer Research Program.
• Browse the summer student blog.