Earth
Intern Program for Columbia and Barnard Students
Sponsored by the
Earth Institute, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Barnard College, and the
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University
Program Dates: June
4th-August 6th, 2008
The Earth Intern Program offers the
chance to experience scientific research as an undergraduate. The program is
open to all Columbia College, Columbia Engineering, and Barnard students who have completed their
junior or sophomore year in college with majors (or anticipated majors) in
earth science, environmental science, chemistry, biology, physics, mathematics,
engineering or political science. Exceptional first-year students will also be
considered. Graduating seniors are not eligible. Applicants should have
an interest in conducting research in the Earth, atmospheric, or ocean
sciences. Completion of at least two courses in Earth, atmospheric or ocean
sciences is desirable. All students are required to have at least one year of
calculus. Students undertaking research in geochemistry and chemical
oceanography are required to have at least two semesters of college-level
chemistry. Students undertaking research in marine biology are required to have
at least two semesters of college-level biology. Students undertaking research
in geophysics should have at least three semesters of college-level physics.
Minorities and women are encouraged to apply.
The following members of the Earth
Institute and the LDEO staff will act as research mentors:
Natalie Boelman. Expertise: Terrestrial
Ecology, Remote Sensing, Bioacoustics, Scaling, Plant Physiology. Current Research: Using Hyperspectral
Remote Sensing to Detect Differences in Red Oak Leaf Pigment Content Along an
Urban to Rural Gradient (Central Park to the Catskills).
Kevin Griffin. Expertise: Terrestrial
Ecology, Scaling, Plant Physiology, Carbon Cycling. Current Research:
Impacts of the Urban Environment of New York City on Plant Function and Carbon
Uptake in Red Oak.
Nick
Christie-Blick, Steve Pekar, Steve Goldstein, and Safiya Hassan. Expertise:
Sedimentary Geology, Paleoclimatology and Isotope Geochemistry. Current Research: Early
Miocene Sedimentation, Paleoecology and Strontium Isotope Geochronology in NW
Egypt.
Beizhan Yan and Steven Chillrud. Expertise: Environmental
Geochemistry, Atmospheric Science.
Current
Research: Using Modern Mass Spectroscopy Methods to Analyze Organic Contaminant
Sources in New York City.
Brian Mailloux and Greg
OÕMullen. Expertise: Environmental
Microbiology, Environmental Science. Current Research:
Characterization of Microbial Organisms in Arsenic Contaminated Aquifers
and Wells in Bangladesh.
Marc Levy. Expertise: Environmental
Security, Environmental Governance, Sustainable Development. Current
Research: Climate
Change as a Security Risk--Quantifying the Threats. Drivers of Emerging
Infectious Disease.
Ray
Sambrotto and Bob Newton. Expertise: Tracer Transport, Chemical Oceanography,
Ocean Tracers, Role of the Oceans in Climate, Marine Biology. Current Research: Monitoring Nutrient
Fluxes in the Hudson River Estuary.
Lex van Geen and Jacob L.
Mey. Expertise: Marine and Groundwater Geochemistry,
Paleoceanography. Current
Research: Extracting a Detailed Record of Climate Variability from
Non-Bioturbated Sediments of the Anoxic Soledad Basin, Mexico. Developing New Methods for Identifying
Low-Arsenic Aquifers Before Installing Tubewells in Bangladesh
Xiaojun Yuan and Arnold Gordon. Expertise: Physical
Oceanography, Air-Sea-Ice Interactions, Climate Studies. Current Research: Investigation of
Decadal Variability in the Climate Modes within the Southern Ocean.
Bill Smethie. Expertise: Chemical and
Physical Oceanography. Current Research: Measurement of the Variability of
Trifluoromethyl Sulfur Pentafluoride (SF5CF3) and Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6)
Concentrations in the Atmosphere.
Edward Cook, Benjamin Cook, and Kevin
Anchukaitis.
Expertise: Paleoclimate, Climate Modeling, Drought Dynamics, Statistical
Climatology.
Current Research: Understanding the History and Causes of Severe Drought
using Climate Models and Paleoclimate Data.
STIPEND: Students will receive a stipend
of $4000 for this 10-week program.
In addition, the student will receive free, air-conditioned housing in
dorms across the street from the Columbia campus. (Local students who are
accepted to the program and who prefer to live at home will receive an
additional $1000.) Students will also receive free bus transportation between
the Columbia campus and Lamont. Students who are traveling to Lamont from more
than 200 miles away will be reimbursed for a round-trip supersaver fare.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: must be received by March 15, 2008.
To apply, fill out the on line
application form at this location:
http://eesc.columbia.edu/resources/internships/lamont/Application/
The online application
form will ask for a statement of interest and also a resume. These are part of the on-line
application form and do not need to be sent by regular mail.
In addition send by
regular mail (NOT email):
Official college
transcript(s);
Two letters of
recommendation;
Columbia and Barnard
students who also want their application considered for the Lamont Summer
intern program sponsored by NSF Ocean Sciences should select 3 research
projects each for both programs on the online application form. It is not necessary to send
separate sets of letters of recommendation and transcripts to both programs.
For more information about the program,
look at this link: http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/~dallas/Answers_to_Questions.htm.
Send
application to: Dr. Dallas Abbott, Columbia Earth Intern Program,
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Palisades, New York 10964, email:
dallas@ldeo.columbia.edu
Decisions for all but
the waiting list will be made on or before April 1, 2008. Every year the
research projects and advisors change. Please look for the yearly posting of
new projects on the first of February.