Student Internships/Research

Summer Funding Through the Physics Department

The Ithaca College Department of Physics provides summer salary for a few students through the Ford Foundation. For more information, contact a professor you are interested in working with.

National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates

The National Science Foundation's Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program provides funding to conduct research at a large research university during the summer. This is an excellent way for students interested in graduate school to experience physics research at a large university. Read more at http://www.nsf.gov/.

Dana Student Internship Program

Eligible students can apply for an Ithaca College Dana internship that provides funding for summer or academic year research with a faculty member.

The Dana program provides educationally relevant opportunities for highly qualified students with financial need. The Dana student work experience takes place during the academic year and/or over the summer. Students may work during the academic year with faculty on special projects or in the local community in not-for-profit organizations. A summer program may also include corporate settings outside the area. Applicants may be current freshmen, sophomores, or juniors who demonstrate financial need. Application must be made annually through the financial aid office. Awards range from $3,345 during the academic year to as much as $5,000 for full-time summer internships. A portion of the award is paid directly to the student over the course of the summer or academic year with the remainder applied to the student's College account. Originally established through a grant from the Charles A. Dana Foundation, the program is intended to help students discover new academic directions while reducing their loan burden.

Requirements:

1. GPA 3.0 or higher
2. Dana placements are awarded only to students currently receiving need-based financial aid from IthacaCollege.
3. Awards are generally limited to current freshman, sophomore, and junior students.
4. Student applicants must complete and submit a Dana Internship Proposal Application (which you obtain from the financial aid office) with two faculty references to the Office of Financial Aid  by the February deadline.
5. Faculty proposals must be completed and returned to the Office of the Provost.
6. Faculty applications and more information are available at http://www.ithaca.edu/provost/docs/danaform/,as well as at the Office of Financial Aid.

Over 1,000 students have been served in excellent projects during the 15+ year history of the Dana Student Internship Program. The Dana program is designed to provide financial assistance to students with financial need through their involvement in educationally valuable work experiences.

The review group looks for

• Educational value of the experience
• A plan for active mentoring by the supervisor
• Variety and range of student learning -- e.g., is the student learning about a large issue or a complex organization, as well as about his or her own assignment?
• Situations in which the student can "own" part of the work, taking personal credit for some product or reflecting through further studies the nature of the disciplines involved.