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ESF to Participate in SUNY Chancellor’s Summer Research Excellence Fund to Provide Undergraduates with Paid Internships
The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry is one of five SUNY campuses benefiting from the Chancellor’s Summer Research Excellence Fund to provide undergraduates with paid summer internships.
Announced yesterday by SUNY Chancellor John. B. King, Jr., this new program will expand access to research opportunities for undergraduate students with financial need, first-generation students, and others who may face barriers to securing research experiences. Other participating campuses include Binghamton University, University at Buffalo, Stony Brook University, and SUNY Polytechnic Institute. The SUNY funding will support up to 30 ESF undergraduate students.
“Research is a key component to developing the next generation of environmental scientists and stewards,” said ESF President Joanie Mahoney. “Now, thanks to this new program, even more students will benefit from research opportunities through field and lab work led by ESF’s world-class faculty and renowned experts. We are honored to be part of this new pilot and look forward to welcoming students to our campus this summer.”
At ESF, the internships will be in the fields of environmental biology, chemical engineering, and landscape architecture. In the Department of Environmental Biology, student research experiences can range from laboratory-based molecular biology, physiology, and behavior to regional, national, and international field-based ecology and biodiversity conservation and restoration. In the Department of Chemical Engineering, students engage in research projects that range from understanding the chemistry of paper making, biopolymers and the production of sustainable materials, and processes for cleaner and renewable biproducts. Research in the Department of Landscape Architecture will focus on the human dimensions of the environment, including urban sustainability and environmental justice.
“Every student should have the opportunity to participate in an internship or other experiential learning on their path to a college degree, and through this internship program students will be offered a robust experience right from their home campus and at no additional cost,” said SUNY Chancellor King. “Expanding paid summer research internships is a concrete, powerful way to expand economic opportunity and increase social mobility especially for so many college students whose economic or familial circumstances might have barred them in the past.”
The Fund, which is supported by SUNY’s Empire Innovation Program, covers all student costs for the internship including, but not limited to, student stipend/salary, tuition/fees, housing, meal plans, childcare, and transportation.
“Through this pilot, we are able to double the number of undergraduate students who will benefit from summer research in fields with promising post-college job opportunities, both in New York state and beyond,” said Mahoney. “With this generous funding from SUNY, students can participate program without financial barriers or incurring additional debt for a summer semester.”