Department of Biology, Furman University

Finding Summer Research Opportunities

Dr. Hestermann acts as a general liaison to help in arranging summer research.  The main contact person for health-career internships is Dr. Schammel.  However,  in both cases it is very important for you to talk to other biology professors, and to seek out opportunities on your own.  The search for a suitable summer internship or research position must be an active one on your part.

If you hope to get a Furman Advantage Research Fellowship to work with a biology professor, you must speak with them before the application deadline (typically in the middle of January).


 

RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY INFORMATION:

ON-CAMPUS RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES:  A summary of the research areas and interests of all of the Furman University Biology Faculty. Look here first for research by Furman faculty that looks interesting to you.

OFF-CAMPUS RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES:  A good listing of off-campus locations (e.g., Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, etc.) where at least one of the Furman Biology faculty have ties.

NSF-REU A good place to start is the huge list of Research Experiences for Undergraduates sites sponsored by the National Science foundation.  NSF funds a large number of research opportunities for undergraduate students through its REU Sites program. An REU Site consists of a group of ten or so undergraduates who work in the research programs of the host institution. Each student is associated with a specific research project, where he/she works closely with the faculty and other researchers. Students are granted stipends and, in many cases, assistance with housing and travel. Undergraduate students supported with NSF funds must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States or its possessions. An REU Site may be at either a US or foreign location. Furman was an REU site in Biology from 1991-95, and currently Biology, Chemistry, and EES have an interdisciplinary REU program in place.  All the sites will be recruiting students to spend approximately 10 weeks doing research in the summer.  Some sites center their research around particular themes (e.g. molecular biology) while others are more broadly-based. At the NSF-REU site you can search for programs by discipline.

CUR Another good site is sponsored by the Council for Undergraduate Research. CUR promotes research by undergraduate students in all settings of science, mathematics, and engineering education, and has, among other information, many links to research opportunities for students.


For more help, speak to Dr. Hestermann or e-mail him at eli.hestermann@furman.edu