ResearchDepartment of Environment, Geography, and Earth Sciences

We regard research as an integral part of our Department's educational program because it inspires creativity, teaches rigorous thinking, and helps students develop independence. The faculty is engaged in research, and the students have opportunities to be involved. Also, numerous classes include research experiences and problem solving.

Student summer research, internships, and collaborations

Student summer research endeavors are usually paid and in conjunction with a faculty member at Gustavus, another college or university, or a government agency.

• Every summer, the Gustavus First-Year Research Experiences (FYRE) program matches interested first-year students with faculty who are doing summer research. Applications for this competitive program are usually due in late-February/early-March.
• Often, individual faculty members will have funding to hire one or more summer student collaborators. We recommend that in December or January you ask professors if they’ll be taking on summer students, and determine what their application process will be.
• Many EGE students apply for National Science Foundation Research Experiences of Undergraduates (NSF-REU) summer internships. The project page is usually updated in December–January, and applications are due February–March.
• EGE students have also obtained summer research positions and internships at government agencies, private companies, and nonprofits. For government agencies, you can look everywhere from the local level (e.g., city watershed protection organizations, county parks) to the state level (e.g., Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources) to the national level (e.g., U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Energy). You can ask your professors for more specific ideas, or check out posts about some recent student experiences on the old Geography blog and Geology blog.

Student academic year research and collaborations

Most years there will be some opportunities for doing research during the academic year (outside of regularly offered courses and major requirements that include research). Sometimes professors will offer a research course during summer term. Other times, professors have funding to pay a student research assistant for a certain number of hours or work per week. Occasionally, a student will create an independent study course with the supervision and approval of a professor, wherein the student leads a research project.