Undergraduate Research Opportunity
Program Name/Research Position Title:
Pittsburgh Science of Learning Center/Research Assistant
Program Director/Research Faculty:
Ken Koedinger, Kurt Van Lehn and 38 other faculty
Contact Information: pslc-submit@lists.andrew.cmu.edu
Program/Research Website: www.learnlab.org
Program Description
The Pittsburgh Science of Learning Center (PSLC) at Carnegie Mellon and the University of Pittsburgh has an exciting summer research opportunity available to undergraduate students. This program encourages applications from underrepresented students who would like to do research in the fields of psychology, education, computer science, human-computer interfaces and language technologies.
The PSLC's program provides support for talented undergraduates to spend 8 weeks during the summer working in a research laboratory at Carnegie Mellon University or the University of Pittsburgh. The program aims to encourage the participation of underrepresented students in our graduate programs and to make the PSLC's programs more visible to students not traditionally exposed to our fields. The program supports the PSLC's commitment to training a diverse set of science, technology, education, and psychology leaders. Applications will be considered from eligible students without regard to gender, race, or ethnicity.
Applications are encouraged from students who wish to work in a modern academic research laboratory under the guidance of experienced scientists and engineers and experiment in real classroom environments. The program will expose students to the excitement and opportunities of a research career. This experience will provide excellent preparation for students interested in subsequently pursuing a Masters or Ph.D. degree.
Each student will receive a fellowship stipend of $4000 for the eight-week program. Participants will also receive an allowance for housing and travel. In addition they may be interested in attending the one-week PSLC summer workshop on authoring tools for educational technology and experiments. Here they will build parts of an Intelligent Tutoring System and an experiment on human learning principles.
Students will work in the laboratory of a Carnegie Mellon or University of Pittsburgh faculty member in a research area matched to the interests expressed in the student's application. Guidance and supervision of the research project will be provided by the faculty member along with a postdoctoral fellow and/or advanced graduate student.
Seminars held by Carnegie Mellon's Human Computer Interaction Institute and Language Technologies Institute and seminars at University of Pittsburgh's Language Research and Development Center will be open to the students, giving them exposure to the whole range of work on our fields
Counseling and advice will be provided on a variety of topics, including graduate admissions, financial aid, and career opportunities in science, education, computer science and engineering. Students will also enjoy social, cultural, and outdoor activities in Pittsburgh.
Program Benefits:
There are several benefits that the participating student can accumulate. If the work in the summer is of high quality and has added value to an ongoing research project, the student may be asked to be a coauthor on the research team's publication on that subject. The addition of a publication to the resume of a graduate school applicant always greatly improves the application. Naturally, if the quality of the work is high, the faculty member who advised the student would likely be willing to write a letter of recommendation for the student. This also improves an application. Finally, the environment that the student has been in for the summer should contribute to the quality of the student's application essay, another plus in an application.
The graduate school application fee may be waived for students who have successfully completed a summer internship and who have obtained a recommendation from one faculty member.
If the student has taken courses that may be applicable in graduate school, that student may ask for course credit. However, the PSLC does not insure that credit will be given since this is by combined decision of the instructor and the graduate program directors.
There are scholarships available for graduate work on projects in the PSLC. The student should inquire about these possibilities during the summer apprenticeship.
Finally, a summer spent in one of the National Science Foundation's premier project areas is a plus in an application whether it be for entry to Carnegie Mellon or the University of Pittsburgh or to any other institution.
Program Dates:
Students may start their projects on June 6, 2005 and finish on July 29, 2005.
Application Deadline:
Deadline for applications is March 1, 2005. Students will be informed of our decision by April 15, 2005.
Minimum Requirements :
Students should have a minimum of 3.5 GPA although we will consider students who show by other measures that they are exceptional and capable of doing the work who have GPAs under 3.2. Class standing and grades in specific subjects that are close to the field of research will also be considered, as are recommendations.
Number of Slots/ Positions Available:
The PSLC can accommodate as many as 10 positions, although in any given year, we may decide to fund less than 10 applicants
Funding Source :
National Science Foundation
Partner Institutions:
Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh