Student Research Opportunities

A research fellowship at Loyola is a competitive grant to a current student based on prior academic performance. These fellowship programs enable students to gain practical experience in interdisciplinary research. Current research fellowships include: 

• The Carbon Undergraduate Research Fellowship
• The SES Undergraduate Research Fellowship
• The Baum Graduate Research Fund

Carbon Undergraduate Research Fellowship

Undergraduate science and math students from Loyola University Chicago are invited to apply to the prestigious Michael and Dorothy Carbon Fellowship Program. This program offers a full two-year, interdisciplinary research opportunity for undergraduate science students to increase scientific literacy, critical thinking, and verbal and written communication skills while developing a student's leadership potential and sense of social responsibility. The program funds up to ten Carbon Fellows each academic year.

The application deadline for Carbon Undergraduate Research Fellowship proposals is March 1.

Objectives

• To enable students to gain practical experience in interdisciplinary scientific research.
• To promote science literacy, critical thinking, and verbal and written communication
• To develop leadership potential and social responsibility in the next generation of scientists

Program Details

• Apply to the program by March 1 of your sophomore year. A review committee selects the Carbon Fellows by mid-April of that same year.
• Projects begin in the fall semester of the junior year and end in May of the senior year. Research during the summer between the junior and senior years is encouraged.
• Students are expected to spend 10 to 15 hours per week conducting research during the academic year and are encouraged to spend 20 or more hours per week for six to eight weeks during the summer between their junior and senior years.
• Students receive a stipend of $7,000 per year to help offset their student costs. Stipends are paid out as part of the financial aid package in LOCUS and may lower the amount of external loans. Funds are applied first to outstanding charges on the student. Any remaining credit balance is paid/refunded to the student.
• Faculty mentors are assigned a budget of $3,000 per year for supplies.
• At the end of the senior year, fellows present their projects in an open forum.
• Students and mentors are strongly encouraged to present their Carbon Fellows projects at national scientific meetings and to publish their results in scientific journals.

Eligibility

• Eligible students:
  • Loyola undergraduate students majoring in biology, bioinformatics, chemistry, computer science, environmental science, mathematics, psychology, physics, or statistics
  • Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higherJunior standing when entering the program
• Eligible faculty mentors:
  • Any full-time science or math research faculty mentors
  • Since these projects are interdisciplinary, students are encouraged to work with two or more faculty members working across departments.
• Eligible research projects:
  • No priorities or biases are given due to the academic discipline of the proposed project. However, projects must be interdisciplinary, with at least two faculty mentors from different disciplinary fields of study.
  • Applicants must first obtain an agreement from a member of the SES faculty to mentor them in an independent research project.

Application Process

1. Log in to the LUROP online application system using your Loyola ID and password. Select the Carbon Fellowship Program and follow the directions for submission.
2. Proposals must include an abstract of no more than 1,500 characters, including spaces. The body of the proposal, not including the literature cited, is limited to three pages in 12-point font.

Christopher Peterson, associate dean of SES, can provide details on the application process and assist students in pairing with faculty conducting research in an area of interest to the students. Interested students should inquire at the School of Environmental Sustainability in SES 311 (773-508-2141; ses@luc.edu). 

Congratulations to our current Carbon Fellows!

 

SES Undergraduate Research Fellowship

The SES Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program, supported by the Alvin H. Baum Family Fund, brings opportunities for students in the School of Environmental Sustainability to engage in innovative faculty-mentored research on scientific, societal, policy-based, and economic questions related to environmental issues or sustainability. SES encourages interdisciplinary research projects that combine elements of ecosystem structure and function, impacts on human health, public policy, behaviors, environmental justice, or other environmental factors. Research projects incorporating work at Loyola's Retreat and Ecology Campus (LUREC) are also encouraged. The program funds up to five fellows each academic year.

Application deadlines are December 1 for spring/fall research and March 1 for summer or fall/spring research.

Program Details

• Students will receive a $2,000 stipend and up to $1,000 for research supplies if needed.

Eligibility

• Eligible students:
  • Loyola undergraduate students pursuing an academic major or minor administered by SES
• Eligible faculty mentors:
  • Any FT faculty member who conducts research affiliated with SES activities and goals
• Eligible Research Projects:
  • Projects that fall within the goals and mission of SEs
  • No priorities or biases are given due to the academic discipline of the proposed project.
  • We strongly encourage interdisciplinary projects.

Application Process

1. Applicants must first obtain an agreement from a member of the SES faculty to mentor them in an independent research project
2. Log in to the LUROP online application system using your Loyola ID and password. Select the SES Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program and follow the directions for submission.
3. Proposals must include an abstract of no more than 1,500 characters. The body of the proposal, not including the literature cited, is limited to two pages in 12-point font.    

Congratulations to our current Undergraduate Fellows!

 

Baum Graduate Research Fund

SES is thrilled to partner with the Alvin H. Baum Family Fund to support graduate student research, allowing us to increase the impact of scholarship at Loyola. Incoming SES graduate students can apply to become Alvin H. Baum Family Graduate Research Scholars. Loyola awards funding to students based on both merit and financial need. Through this program, we will recruit and support three to five graduate students for two years. Loyola faculty conduct research with graduate students in each of these focus areas.

To be eligible for this fellowship, students must apply to our graduate program by March 1.

Congratulations to this year's Alvin H. Baum Family Graduate Research Scholars.