<p>D is a Freshman and applied for some summer internships but didn't get them. She is saying some students say if you stay on campus, you can help out with various internships on an as-needed basis. Is there any possibility she could get anything at this late date on campus during the summer? She is a physics and optics major. It is kind of expensive to have her stay for the summer and pay for housing and food with no research opportunities or a job to pay for some expenses.</p>
<p>sorry this doesn’t answer your question but is research during the summer given on a first-come, first-serve basis or do they take GPA and whatnot into account?</p>
<p>Skatingmom… I would contact the department directly and encourage your daughter to reach out to career services. The opportunities that are available to students change on a year to year basis and are often dependent on the professors within the respective departments.</p>
<p>Sharath-- there is no “central casting” for research opportunities. </p>
<p>Each individual must make his or her own arrangements. Generally, you find research opportunities by going to your professors (or professors who are doing work in an area you’re interested in) and asking if they are willing to let you work in their lab as a volunteer.</p>
<p>Some research assistant positions are for work-study students only. (These openings are posted in career services and students getting these positions must be eligible for federal work-study.) </p>
<p>Some are filled by students who are doing research for course credit.</p>
<p>Each professor determines his own requirements for accepting students into their research program. Some want specific skills. Some want warm bodies who they can train.</p>
<p>Thank you MConklin and WayOutWestMom!</p>
<p>Yes thanks wayoutwestmom</p>
<p>This will help you understand how summer student research is funded.</p>
<p>There are generally 4 ways students get paying summer research jobs–</p>
<p>1) the prof (or a program) has a research grant from some funding agency (NIH, DOE, NSF, etc) This funding is used as the grantee sees fit. The grantee can use the funds to pay student salaries, pay himself a summer salary** (profs don’t get summer salaries unless they teach summer classes), buy equipment/materials, pay travel expenses, etc. For most of the research profs I know–paying undergrads is at the very bottom of their list of priorities. (They’re already paying salaries for their grad students and any full time research assistants.) </p>
<p>2) the student is funded by UR through their summer grant program. To get this grant, a student must have a project and a mentor. Then the student writes a research grant proposal. The proposal is submitted to the grant committee. These were due no later than March 15th this year. The grants are competitive and not all are funded. </p>
<p>3) the student has outside funding (i.e. a grant in their own name-and this does happen!)</p>
<p>4) federal work-study (this is less common since most work-study funding is reserved for the academic year and not summer)</p>
<p>**The negotiation of teaching vs. research assignments, teaching buy-outs, start-up research funding, lab space, overhead costs–academic contracts at research oriented schools are incredibly complex.</p>
<p>Also these:</p>
<p>[University</a> of Rochester Chemical Engineering Department](<a href=“http://www.che.rochester.edu/employment.htm]University”>http://www.che.rochester.edu/employment.htm)</p>
<p>And this:</p>
<p>[Xerox</a> Undergraduate Research Fellows Program](<a href=“http://www.rochester.edu/college/kearnscenter/xeroxfellowsmain.html]Xerox”>http://www.rochester.edu/college/kearnscenter/xeroxfellowsmain.html)</p>
<p>For future reference for those who are looking for summer internships/research:</p>
<p>[Career</a> Center @ University of Rochester](<a href=“http://www.rochester.edu/careercenter/students/internship/reach.html]Career”>http://www.rochester.edu/careercenter/students/internship/reach.html)</p>
<p>REACH funding provides up to $1750 to help support UR students in career-related [unpaid] internships.</p>
<p>Applications are usually due by March 1st for the following summer. Funding is competitive and not all requests are funded. </p>
<p>Internships need not be at the UR campus.</p>
<p>Thank you MConklin. Just wanted to update you and others on some good news. D will be doing some optics research work in the optics lab for part of this summer! She had applied for it quite awhile ago, but they thought the funding was going to fall through. She found out last Friday late in the afternoon as we were driving to pick her and her belongings up that they got funding! We’re very excited. Do you know how the campus is during the summer in terms of security, crime, etc.? We were very impressed with the security at the school during the school year but were wondering if the security is as good in the summer? Thanks again for your help and you too WayOutWestMom!</p>
<p>Congrats to your D, skatingmom! I’m sure she’s thrilled. And so are you.</p>
<p>My d was notified during finals that she had been awarded a REACH grant for her summer research. If she hadn’t received the REACH, she would have used her PRG for the summer. </p>
<p>Next summer she’s hoping to get a NIH summer fellowship at NIMH in Bethesda, MD. </p>
<p>As for security–I’ll guess we’ll find out, won’t we?</p>
<p>Is your D living on campus? My D sublet a house with 2 other students about 2-3 miles off campus. She bought a used bike (a Trek mtn bike at a pretty good price) and is commuting by bicycle to campus.</p>
<p>BTW, there was a mention of central casting. Did you know there actually is a Central Casting for extra work in the film / tv industry?</p>
<p>Don’t know about Los Angeles studio work, but her in ABQ (3 TV series currently in active production in town and about 12-18 films a year shot locally), there is something sort of like central casting–at least for the TV shows. </p>
<p>Open auditions for the TV shows are held once a year just before filming season starts. The casting directors create huge “talent books” with headshots and extensive notes and then extras (speaking and non-speaking) are called in as need from the “book”. D1 has done some extra work on 2 different TV shows (one was pilot ep of a series that never made it to TV; the other is on USA network).</p>
<p>Movies are cast differently. Extras are hired either through open casting calls (typically announced via mailing list or on the state film board’s website) or through local agents.</p>
<p>I did know one teenager (D2 used to date him) who got cast in movie on very short notice and without auditioning because his track coach recommended him. (They need a buff-bodied jock-type to do gym stuff–weigh training, running–in the background. Now what I still can’t figure is how the track coach knew the casting director…)</p>
<p>Skatingmom… so sorry for the delayed response.</p>
<p>Congrats to your daughter. I hope that she has a positive experience in her research position. The summer is an amazing time to be in Rochester, and the security on campus is equally as strong as it is in the school year. There are always community events and special programs that keep the campus well-populated, so security remains a priority.</p>