Cascadia Region Earthquake Science Center (CRESCENT) Undergraduate Twinning Program

[Shannon Fasola]

CRESCENT is launching its paid, year-long research experience for students from historically underrepresented groups in the geosciences, the Undergraduate Twinning Program, and we plan to have the first cohort start in the Fall 2024. We received proposals for 6 projects, two of which allow for remote participation.

We are now accepting student applications for the Twinning Program, and we would greatly appreciate it if you would distribute this great opportunity to your students interested in the geosciences, computer sciences, or adjacent disciplines.  

 

Below are additional details and a flyer describing the program. For questions about the program or the application, please reach out to Shannon Fasola, the CRESCENT GEI Program Manager, at sfa...@uoregon.edu. 

Sincerely, 
Shannon Fasola 

Announcement:  

The Geoscience Education and Inclusion (GEI) group at Cascadia Region Earthquake Science Center (CRESCENT) is launching a paid, year-long research experience for undergraduate students from historically underrepresented communities in the geosciences, the Undergraduate Twinning Program, starting Fall 2024. 

 

What: 

The focus of the Twinning Program is a “twinning” model where the student participates in a research project throughout the year (September 2024 to August 2025) involving two mentors at different institutions: the Project Director who will be the primary mentor, will be at the student’s institution, and the ‘Twin’ Mentor, who will be at another institution. The student is thus introduced to different mentors and a mode of scientific collaboration that closely mimics real-world experiences. During the academic year, students will carry out independent work at their home institution supervised by their Project Director and ‘Twin mentor’. During the summer, students will have the option to travel to the Twin Mentor’s institution to finish the research project or to continue working at their home institution. 

 

Why: 
Through experiential learning, undergraduate students will gain valuable, high-impact research experience and build their oral and written scientific communication skills. This year-long program will provide students:  

• An opportunity to improve their understanding of the earth through solving complex, real-world problems using multi-disciplinary approaches.  
• The chance to deepen their understanding of the knowledge and skills needed by professionals in the earth sciences.  
• Ample support from CRESCENT, their Twin mentors, and a cohort of CRESCENT student interns.  
• A monthly stipend for the duration of the program.  
• Travel funds to visit the Twin Mentor’s institution over the summer.  
• Travel funds to attend a major scientific conference.  

Funding students to focus year-round on research differentiates our program from typical research internships and thus increases the likelihood of lasting student impact. Engagement in funded, mentored research experiences is directly tied to increased retention of underserved students in the STEM pipeline. Because the program supports students year-round, students do not need to find employment outside of their focused-STEM scholarly activities.  

How: 
Please see the list of 2024-2025 Projects to see detailed description of the projects; Projects 1 and 6 have remote options. 1 student will be accepted per project. For projects with the remote option, students will need to provide the name of a faculty member at their institution to serve as a local mentor throughout the program. 

If you are interested, please apply online. Additional information on the Twinning Program and instructions for applying can be found on the Undergraduate Twinning Program website.  

For questions about the program or the application, please reach out to Shannon Fasola, GEI Program Manager, at sfa...@uoregon.edu.