<p>As an International Student from Singapore going to study Geology/GeoPhysics in the US, are there any well-known or specially-tailored programs that allow International Students to get undergraduate research opportunities or REUs/Internship?</p>
<p>Looking to go to University of Oregon or University of Washington in Summer 2013. </p>
<p>I have gone through a handful of Undergraduate Research Opportunities : </p>
<p>Keck Geology Consortium - Citizen or permanent resident of the United States or its possessions is a requirement for eligibility</p>
<p>NSF - Citizen or permanent resident of the United States or its possessions is a requirement for eligibility</p>
<p>I understand that there are legal restrictions that prevent the employment of International Students but I would really hope there would be at least some programs that allow International Students to be a part of.</p>
<p>Having looked around, it seems that International students can get Reseaerch Opportunities/Internships if they are willing to go unpaid or have the college willing to pay for them directly. The REUs/Internships do not necessarily have to come from the college itself; other colleges or even external organizations are possible as well.</p>
<p>Has anyone had experience with this issue?
Any fellow international students who have gotten REUs/Internships for their undergrad years able to share how they got it as well as how I should start looking for
REUs/Internships in college or even before entering college?
Are they any other ways to get these valuable REUs/Internships?</p>
<p>This is specifically for Geology/GeoPhysics REUs/Internships as what I'm interested in. Though any Geology/GeoPhysics-related REUs/internships are viable as well.</p>
<p>My international friends in college got their research funding mostly from two sources: fellowships from my college and research grants from professors. (If you are attending a big public university, it’s less likely that there’ll be institutional grants to support student research, but don’t dismiss this option a-priori.) </p>
<p>Let me emphasize: the vast majority of undergraduate research happens at the student’s home university under the direction of one of their professors. Very few students participate in organized undergraduate research programs. (And these programs are often targeted at students from small colleges with limited research opportunities.) </p>
<p>As far as organized programs are concerned, I know that there are a few summer programs in math, physics (astrophysics) and computer science that are open to international students; these are funded by agencies other than the NSF. (In particular, you wouldn’t find them on an NSF-funded REU list.) There might be some in geology too, but I have never researched programs in the geosciences. Your professors and fellow geology majors might have some suggestions for you.</p>
<p>As an international student, you won’t get any funding from NSF.
Since most REU are funded through NSF, you are just not eligible.</p>
<p>As a result, the easiest is to do research at your school. </p>
<p>As long as I know, there are a couple of possibilities. I mostly researched molecular biology and mathematical biology so I’ll give you what I found out.
I personally applied for a program in quantitative biology at Princeton. Most of the programs in biomathematics are funded by NSF so I probably won’t apply to anything else.
The Scripps Institute also accept international enrolled in the US for certain program.</p>
<p>Don’t be afraid to send a lot of e-mail and if you have any funding available, say it !</p>
<p>I’m not in the US yet, not till the fall of 2013. </p>
<p>For Fellowships, do you consider your college a special case where it awards these scholarships to International Students or is it the norm for most colleges in the US? </p>
<p>For Research Grants, I’m guessing that it would require contacting the professor(s) directly and seeing whether they have any openings. A good relationship with the specific professor(s) would also be useful. Is that how most Research Grants are earned?</p>
<p>With regards to the summer programs in math, physics (astrophysics) and computer science that are open to international students, would you mind saying what they are and what agencies are funding them? While I’m looking for Geology/Geophysics REUs/Internships primarily, Maths/Physics and Computer Science are all integral parts of the subject thus I wouldn’t mind joining those summer programs.</p>
<p>telayl : </p>
<p>When you said “the easiest is to do research at your school”, were you referring to research opportunities provided internally/informal research opportunities which professors may award to International Students? Thus is it assume that your home school does not restrict Research Opportunities based on whether you are a US Citizen/PR or not, as long as you are enrolled in the college.</p>
<p>How did you eventually manage to find an REU/Internship that would accept International Students? Mind sharing the process and experience?</p>
<p>Do you by any chance know of any other programs/agencies that provide Geology/Geophysics REUs/internships for International Students, beside The Scripps Institute which I have already noted and looked up.</p>
<p>Lastly, you mean clarifying what you meant when you said “if you have any funding available, say it !”?</p>