Global Research Assistant Program offers the chance to work in the field
Tufts students have a number of opportunities to engage in self-directed international research and projects, through programs such as Summer Scholars, Tisch Summer Fellows, International Relations Research Scholars, and Institute for Global Leadership-sponsored research.
Now the new Global Research Assistant Program adds something more: the opportunity for undergraduates to work on ongoing international research led by Tufts faculty. A collaborative initiative of the Office of the Provost and the Career Center, Tisch College, Summer Scholars and IGL, the program offers undergraduates the opportunity to work with faculty as part of their international research teams.
“The program is a unique opportunity for undergraduates to work in the field on Tufts faculty-directed global research,” said Diana Chigas, senior international officer and associate provost. The program seeks to help students “develop skills and understandings useful for working and conducting research effectively and ethically in international contexts, as well as to support faculty in carrying out their research.”
Faculty from nearly every school submitted proposals for research assistants for projects this coming summer. Now six projects have been selected and are seeking applications from Tufts undergraduates interested in participating; the application deadline is February 28. The projects are:
- Agro-sociological Resilience in a Changing Climate, with Colin Orians, a biology professor; eight weeks in Costa Rica
- Battles for Historical Memory in the Southern Cone, with history professor Peter Winn; four weeks in Santiago, Chile, and four weeks in Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Creating A Platform For Pro Bono Expert Consultation In Veterinary Medicine To Developing Countries, with Cummings School professor Melissa Mazan; six weeks in Grafton and three weeks in Fez, Morocco
- Development of a Novel Environmental Monitoring System for Detecting Antimicrobial Resistant Genes, with Amy Pickering, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering; two weeks in Medford and six weeks in Vellore, India
- Evaluation of a Cash-Transfer Program To Prevent Childhood Malnutrition, with Susan Roberts, a professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy; four weeks in Boston and four weeks in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau
- How Conservation and Health Information Is Transmitted Between Parents and Children and Among Peer Networks at a Ugandan NGO, with Zarin Machanda, an assistant professor of anthropology; two weeks in Medford and six weeks at the Kibale National Park, Uganda
The Global Research Assistants will go through an orientation together “to stimulate reflection and learnings on the particular practical and ethical challenges of doing research internationally, and will share their work and their reflections on the experience to the Tufts community when they come back to campus in the fall,” said Chigas.
The program participants will receive a weekly stipend, and expenses will be paid for airfare, visa costs, local transportation, food, and lodging. For the portions that take place in Massachusetts, housing arrangements and transportation costs will also be available.
To learn more, and to apply, go to the website of the Global Research Assistant Program.
