undergraduate research at harvard

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The  Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships  helps students navigate the many research opportunities available here on campus, in the Cambridge area, and around the world. URAF helps students find projects and make connections among stakeholders in the academic research landscape.

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Undergraduate Research

Where to start:.

A good starting point is the Harvard College Undergraduate Research and Fellowships page. The Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships administers research programs for Harvard College undergraduates. Check out the website . Another resource is OCS , the Harvard Office of Career Services. It offers help on preparing a CV or cover letters and gives advice on how to network, interview, etc. Their website is here . Other Sources that can provide additional information on Scholarships, awards, and other grants:

• Committee on General Scholarships: more …
• Office of International Programs: more …
• Student Employment Office: more …

Independent study in Mathematics

Students who would like to do some independent study or a reading class please read the pamphlet page . about Math 91r.

THE ANNUAL OCS SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES FAIR

The Office of Career Services hosts summer programs to help you begin your summer search. Programs are both Harvard affiliated and public or private sector and include internships, public service, funding, travel, and research (URAF staff will be there to answer your questions!). Check out the website.

Harvard-Amgen Scholars program in Biotechnology

Check out the Harvard-Amgen Scholars Program Learn about Harvard’s Amgen 10-week intensive summer research program, one of ten Amgen U.S. programs that support research in biotechnology. The Harvard program includes faculty projects in FAS science departments, SEAS, the Wyss Institute for Biologically-inspired Engineering, and the School of Medicine, open to rising juniors and seniors in biotechnology-related fields.

PRIMO program

The Program for research in Markets and Organizations (PRIMO) is a 10-week program for Harvard undergraduates who wish to work closely with Harvard Business School faculty on research projects.

Harvard Undergraduate Research Events

• Wednesday, October 10, 12:00-1: 20 PM – Fall Undergraduate Research Spotlight. Come and meet Harvard undergraduate peers who will showcase their research projects and share their experiences conducting research at Harvard and abroad, followed by reception and deserts. Event program and list of presentations can be found here: here (pizza and desserts while supplies last). Free for Harvard students. Cabot Library 1st floor Discovery Bar.
• Wednesday, October 17, 12:00-1: 00 PM – Undergraduate Science Research Workshop. Workshop facilitators Dr. Margaret A. Lynch, (Assoc. Director of Science #Education) and Dr. Anna Babakhanyan, (Undergraduate Research Advisor) will help Harvard students learn about science research landscape at Harvard. You will learn about what kind of research (basic science vs. clinical, various research areas) is available at Harvard, where you can conduct research, the types of undergraduate research appointments, how to find a lab that fits, interviewing and more. In addition, the workshop will provide strategies for students to prepare for the Annual HUROS Fair, see below. No registration is required for this event (pizza while supplies last). Free for all Harvard students. Cabot Library first floor Discover Bar. More.

Outside Programs

Caltech always announces two summer research opportunities available to continuing undergraduate students. Examples: WAVE Student-Faculty Programs The WAVE Fellows program provides support for talented undergraduates intent on pursuing a Ph.D. to conduct a 10-week summer research project at Caltech. And then there is the AMGEN Scholars program. See the website for more details.

Johns Hopkins Summer 2018 Opportunities

The Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth (CTY) is seeking instructors and teaching assistants for our summer programs. CTY offers challenging academic programs for highly talented elementary, middle, and high school students from across the country and around the world. Positions are available at residential and day sites at colleges, universities, and schools on the East and West coasts, as well as internationally in Hong Kong. Website

Math REU list from AMS

Mellon Mays opportunities awareness

The Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program ( MMUF ) selects ten students in their sophomore year to join a tightly-knit research community during junior and senior years to conduct independent research in close collaboration with a faculty mentor. Join us at this information session to find out more about the program. MMUF exists to counter the under-representation of minority groups on college and university faculties nationwide through activities designed to encourage the pursuit of the Ph.D. in the humanities and core sciences.

MIT Amgen and UROP

You may be familiar with the Amgen Scholars Program, a summer research program in science and biotechnology. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a participant in the Amgen-UROP Scholars Program for a ninth year. UROP is MIT’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. The mission of the Amgen-UROP Scholars Program is to provide students with a strong science research experience that may be pivotal in their undergraduate career, cultivate a passion for science, encourage the pursuit of graduate studies in the sciences, and stimulate interest in research and scientific careers. MIT is delighted to invite undergraduate students from other colleges and universities to join our research enterprise. We value the knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm these young scholars will bring to our campus and appreciate this opportunity to build a relationship with your faculty and campus.

More REU's, not only math

The National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) NSF funds a large number of research opportunities for undergraduate students through its REU Sites program. An REU Site consists of a group of ten or so undergraduates who work in the research programs of the host institution. Each student is associated with a specific research project, where he/she works closely with the faculty and other researchers. Students are granted stipends and, in many cases, assistance with housing and travel. Undergraduate students supported with NSF funds must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States or its possessions. An REU Site may be at either the US or foreign location. By using the web page , search for an REU Site, you may examine opportunities in the subject areas supported by various NSF units. Also, you may search by keywords to identify sites in particular research areas or with certain features, such as a particular location. Students must contact the individual sites for information and application materials. NSF does not have application materials and does not select student participants. A contact person and contact information are listed for each site.

Here is a link with more information about summer programs for undergraduates at NSA: NSA The most math-related one is DSP, but those students who are more interested in computer science could also look at, say, CES SP. They are all paid with benefits and housing is covered. Note that application deadlines are pretty early (usually mid-October). The application process will involve usually a few interviews and a trip down to DC.

NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

US citizens and permanent residents who are planning to enter graduate school in the fall of 2019 are eligible (as are those in the first two years of such a graduate program, or who are returning to graduate school after being out for two or more years). The program solicitation contains full details. Information about the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is here . The GRFP supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based Masters and doctoral degrees at accredited United States institutions. The program provides up to three years of graduate education support, including an annual, 000 stipend. Applications for Mathematical Sciences topics are due October 26, 2018.

Pathway to Science

summer research listings from pathways to science.

Perimeter Institute

Applications are now being accepted for Perimeter Institute’s Undergraduate Theoretical Physics Summer Program. The program consists of two parts:

• Fully-Funded Two Week Summer School (May 27 to June 7, 2019) Students are immersed in Perimeter’s dynamic research environment — attending courses on cutting-edge topics in physics, learning new techniques to solve interesting problems, working on group research projects, and potentially even publishing their work. All meals, accommodation, and transportation provided
• Paid Research Internship (May 1 to August 30, 2019, negotiable) Students will work on projects alongside Perimeter researchers. Students will have the opportunity to develop their research skills and absorb the rich variety of talks, conferences, and events at the Perimeter Institute. Applicants can apply for the two-week summer school or for both the summer school and the research internship. Summer school and internship positions will be awarded by February 28, 2019. Selected interns will be contacted with the research projects topics. All research interns must complete the two-week summer school.

Apply online at perimeterinstitute.ca/undergrad

Stanford resident counselors

Stanford Pre-Collegiate Institutes is hiring Residential Counselors for the summer to work with the following courses:

• Cryptography (grades 9-10)
• Knot Theory (grades 10-11)
• Logic and Problem Solving (grades 8-9)
• Number Theory (grades 9-11)
• Excursions in Probability (grades 8-9)
• Discrete Mathematics (grades 9-10)
• The Mathematics of Symmetry (grades 10-11)
• Mathematical Puzzles and Games (grades 8-9)

Stanford Pre-Collegiate Institutes offers three-week sessions for academically talented high school students during June and July. Interested candidates can learn more about our positions and apply by visiting our employment website .

Summer Research 2019 at Nebraska

We are now accepting applications for the University of Nebraska’s 2019 Summer Research Program, and we’d like to encourage your students to apply. Details.

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Atmospheric Chemistry Modeling Group - Harvard University

Group Leaders  Daniel J. Jacob  and  Loretta J. Mickley

Undergraduate research

Jump to section:  FAQs  |  Open Research Positions  |  Summer Symposium Projects  |  Alumni

Who can do research with you?

We especially encourage younger students to apply. We are also committed to gender and racial diversity in the group and specifically encourage applications from underrepresented minorities. We encourage students from both Harvard and other U.S. institutions to apply. We also host international students who secure their own funding.

Can I still work with you with no research experience?

Absolutely! Most of the undergrads who start doing research in the group have no previous research experience. Almost none have experience in atmospheric science. We are a computational group, so interest in developing your programming skills is essential. You will learn programming and other skills on the job. Learning is the main point of undergraduate research!

Whom do I contact about research opportunities?

You should email Daniel Jacob or Loretta Mickley. In your email, please express your interest in specific research projects, give your plans for obtaining funding (see below), and attach your CV. We recommend that you look through the group’s research page on this website for standing projects, or reach out to a graduate student or postdoc involved in a project you find interesting on the group research page.

What kind of project would I work on?

Our group’s  research  page lists the projects graduate students and postdocs are currently working on. You can also visit  personal websites  of individual group members to learn more about their research areas. See the “symposium projects” or “alumni” section of this webpage for examples of previous projects.

What funding sources are available for Harvard students?

For research during the semester , Harvard students primarily secure funding through the Harvard College Research Program (HCRP, up to $1000 for term-time research). Most students who apply for HCRP get funded. However, students need to apply for HCRP in the first two weeks of the semester, so they should reach out early or over break to express interest and begin working on the application.

For research during the summer , there are more options. Keep an eye on deadlines! Many of these deadlines are only a couple weeks after spring semester starts, so please notify Daniel or Loretta ASAP if you think you are interested. Options include:

• Program for Research in Science and Engineering ( PRISE ) . If accepted, you will receive room and partial board in a Harvard House, along with a stipend. The PRISE staff also organize fun activities like hiking, whale watching, music outings, and sporting events, all on Harvard’s dime. Your chances of being accepted at PRISE increase if you have already done research with us for a semester, so consider doing research in the spring term before applying for PRISE (though this is not strictly necessary).  Due: Early February
• The Harvard College Research Program ( HCRP )  gives $500-$4000 in funding for the summer, but does not provide room and board.  Due: Late March/Early April
• The  Herschel-Smith program  is more generous than HCRP, but is more competitive and tends to only go to older students.  Due: Early February
• The Harvard Center for the Environment ( HUCE ) 's summer undergraduate research fund gives students a standard stipend of $1000 per month, and students can apply for a fellowship duration between 1-3 months (in 1/2 month increments).  Due: Late April

What funding sources are available for external students?

Under construction. We are working to secure spots in Harvard REU programs for external students to work with us.

How many undergraduates are in your group?

We typically host 2-5 students each summer.

How long are summer internships?

Summer internships with REU and Leadership Alliance are 10 weeks. Internships funded by other sources can be a different length, but 10 weeks is a good amount of time to invest in a project.

Whom will I actually work with for my research project in ACMG?

You will work most closely with a graduate student or postdoc and meet with them a few times a week. They will guide you through your research project and help you with technical issues (i.e. coding). You will also have the opportunity to meet with Daniel or Loretta once every week. For meetings, you will generally be asked to present a few slides and discuss your results and next steps with your mentor(s). For summer research, you will be asked to write an abstract and present a short talk in our ACMG research symposium, attended by members of this group. When your project is mature, you will have the opportunity to write and submit an abstract for a scientific conference or even a first-author scientific paper. This is typically for undergraduates who work in the group for more than one summer.

Where will I do research? Will I live on campus?

You will work in Pierce Hall on the main Harvard campus, where our group’s offices are. Depending on the circumstances, you may also work remotely and meet with your mentors through Skype or Zoom. Students typically bring their own laptop, but if you don’t have one we can provide you with a loaner. For intensive computational projects, you will have access to Harvard’s supercomputing cluster, Cannon. We will provide you a desk to work at in Pierce Hall during the summer. REU programs will provide you housing on campus. Other programs will enable you to find lodging near campus through their stipends.

Other research/scholarship programs to apply to:

• NOAA Hollings Scholarship :  Highly recommended  for students interested in environmental science. Apply as a sophomore - extensive funding as well as a generously paid internship
• Woods Hole Summer Student Fellowship ( WHOI SSF )
• NASA Student Airborne Research Program ( SARP )
• Department of Energy Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships ( SULI )
• National Science Foundation  REU program sites

Open Research Positions

Please contact Daniel Jacob or Loretta Mickley with a short statement of interest. If your interest and preparation is suitable for the group, they will put you in touch with a graduate student or postdoc interested in mentoring you.

Summer Symposium Projects

[ Link to Abstracts ]

Alexander Alonso, High Resolution Methane Emissions in India and Bangladesh Inferred From an Iterated Inversion with 2022-2023 TROPOMI Data

[Mentors: Nicholas Balasus, Lucas Estrada, Sarah Hancock]

Christian Chiu, Uncovering Latent VOC emissions and Spatiotemporal Drivers of Urban Ozone in Changing NOx regimes: A Data-driven Case Study of Los Angeles and Chicago

[Mentor: Makoto Kelp]

Karina Chung, Quantifying Wildfire Smoke Expose and Health Impacts in the Western United States

[Mentors: Makoto Kelp, Tina Liu]

Lucy Gagnon, Spatial and Temporal Differences in NO2 Column Densities and Implications for Geostationary Satellite Product Applications Across Asia

[Mentors: Yujin Oak, Laura Yang]

Greta Schultz, Emergency Mobile Monitoring for California Wildfire Smoke

[Mentors: Makoto Kelp, Drew Pendergrass]

[Link to Abstracts]

Marie Panday, US Trends in Wildfire Smoke derived from NOAA’s Hazard Mapping System smoke product and Airport Data from 2010-2020

[Mentors: Tina Liu, Makoto Kelp, Drew Pendergrass]

Maggie Vallejo, Estimating PM2.5 in Indigenous Territories in South America

[Mentor: Eimy Bonilla]

Lewis McAllister, Influence of pollutant transport from China on PM2.5 pollution episodes over Korean cropland

[Mentors: Drew Pendergrass, Ellie Beaudry]

Alison Mangano, The Potential Sources and Sinks Responsible for the 2020 Increase in Methane Concentration

[Mentors: Zhen Qu, Shixian Zhai]

Samuel Lin, Optimal PM2.5 Sensor Placement in the United States using modal decomposition techniques

Margaux Winter, Source Attribution of Methane Emission using Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression

[Mentor: Hannah Nesser]

Daniel Shen, Improving Sentinel-2 Methane Retrievals over Heterogeneous Terrain

[Mentor: Daniel Varon]

Kevin Luo, Constructing an Observational Error Covariance Matrix for TROPOMI Methane Inversions

[Mentor: Zhen Qu]

Tina Chen, Towards determining the impact of increasing ozone trends on crop yields in South Korea

[Mentor: Nadia Colombi]

Kent Toshima, Application of Deep Learning to Detection of Wildfire Smoke in HMS over North America

Miah Caine, Agreement between the HMS Product and Ground-Level Smoke in the Pacific Northwest

Shayna Grossman, 2017 Update - Global Gridded Inventory of Methane Emissions from Oil, Gas, and Coal Exploitation

[Mentor: Tia Scarpelli]

Ivan Specht, Updating the Global Ethanol Budget Based on NASA Aircraft Observations

[Mentor: Kelvin Bates]

Margaux Winter, Diagnosing Systematic Bias in TROPOMI Methane Retrievals

Kuilin Zhu, 2019, Meteorological drivers of airborne dust in China [Mentor: Yang Li]

Drew Pendergrass, 2017-2018, Predicting Extreme Pollution Events in Beijing [Mentor: Lu Shen]

Yuk Chun Chan, 2016, Dust cycling on land and in oceans [Mentor: Pattanun (Ploy) Achakulwisut]

Min (Danny) Leung, 2015, Synoptic meteorological modes of variability for fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) air quality in major metropolitan regions of China [Mentor: Lu Shen]

Julie Sygiel, 2007, Response of surface ozone to temperature changes [Mentor: Eric Leibensperger]

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• Undergraduate Research and Learning Opportunities

Harvard University

Students are welcome to contact individual faculty members  or see the Student Job Opportunities page to learn about opportunities within the department. Broader opportunities for study, travel, and public service are administered  by the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships .

The Harvard University Center for the Environment posts summer research opportunities and provides financial support for projects related to the environment. Funding for oceanography-related programs may be available from the Harvard Oceanography Committee . In addition, Harvard students of any concentration may apply for the Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies Summer Internship Program in Japan .  If you need help crafting an email to a faculty member about research opportunities, please see this email template .

For information about funding sources and excellent tips on applying for research funding, see this recording of the Summer STEM Research and Funding Panel  (begins 30 minutes into the recording) presented by EPS undergrads in March 2021. You can also view the slides from the presentation.

External Opportunities

• DEEPS Brown/Leadership Alliance summer undergraduate research internships
• Department of Energy: Student Programs and Internships
• DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst) RISE Germany Research Internships in Science and Engineering
• Future Park Leaders of Emerging Change (FPL)
• Geoscientists-in-the-Park (National Park Service)
• Green Corps Field School for Environmental Organizing
• Harvard Forest Summer Research Program
• Hispanic Access Foundation's MANO Project
• Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Summer Internship
• Marine Physical Laboratory (MPL)
• Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellowship
• Misasa International Student Internship
• NASA Internship
• NCAR Internship
• NCAR/UCAR Internships and Opportunities
• NOAA Student Opportunities
• NSF Education and Training Application (ETAP) Program
• NSF REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) Earth Sciences
• SCEC Internships
• Scripps Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)
• SEEDS- A Program of the Ecological Society of America
• STEM SEAS (Student Experiences Aboard Ships)
• Student Conservation Association
• UNAVCO Student Internship Program
• URISE Internship Program
• USGS Internship Program
• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Summer Student Fellowship
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More Course Information

To search all FAS courses and cross register for courses at other Harvard schools or MIT, go to my.harvard.edu .

Graduate students may want to explore  study opportunities and recommended curriculum by research area.

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A Guide to Finding Funding

Funding to pursue your passions

We encourage you to explore the many funding resources that are available to you at Harvard in addition to need-based financial aid. The list that follows will give you a sense of the impressive possibilities and point you to resources and next steps. The resources below are grouped into four broad areas: public service, research and learning, international travel, and career opportunities. Dedicated staff members across the College are prepared to help you design your Harvard experience.

Public Service

Over the course of Harvard College’s history, graduates have upheld a commitment to making the world a better place for others. The decision to devote yourself to public interest or government work represents ideals fundamental to Harvard’s mission, and many grants and opportunities for funding can help to make this choice more accessible.

• Center for Public Interest Careers (CPIC) Internships : CPIC focuses on student development, alumni/ae engagement, and partnerships that serve community needs. 
• IOP Director Positions : The Institute of Politics (IOP) partners with prominent organizations and elected officials worldwide to provide fully-funded, career-focused summer internships. Internships are available for undergraduate students interested in politics, government, and public service. 
• IOP Stipend Positions : The Institute of Politics (IOP) offers funding for rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors to pursue non- or low-paying summer internships in government, public interest, non-governmental organizations, and political organizations and campaigns. International internships must have a government affiliation.
• CPIC: Arthur Liman Public Interest Law Fellowship : This fellowship provides a stipend to selected students working in public interest law positions during the summer.
• Harvard Club Summer Internships :  Some Harvard Clubs and Shared Interest Groups raise funds to support student public service projects.
• PBHA Summer Urban Program (SUP) :   PBHA’s SUP is a network of 12 community-based summer camps across Boston and Cambridge.
• Mignone Center for Career Success (MCS) Public Service Grants : MCS provides grants for students interested in pursuing a domestic public service opportunity.
• Harvard Public Service Network : The Public Service Network (PSN), affiliated with the Phillips Brooks House, encompasses over 45 programs. These programs offer opportunities for students to work alongside community organizations and schools that provide health, educational and advocacy services.
• Presidential Public Service Fellowship Program (PPSF) : Harvard’s PPSF program supports a broad range of summer-long opportunities that serve the common good.

Research and Learning

At Harvard, you’ll have opportunities to conduct research alongside world-renowned faculty. Whether you choose to embark on your own research or assist with a faculty project, funding as available.

• The Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Office  (URAF) is Harvard College’s hub for undergraduate research grants. URAF administers ten research programs of its own and hosts a comprehensive database of opportunities. The office also provides tips for finding opportunities, writing applications, and securing funding. 
• The Faculty Aide Program  is a good place to start. This program subsidizes up to $1,500 in student wages as a way to encourage professors to hire undergraduate research assistants.

The following list highlights some of the many research grants and opportunities available.

Summer Residential Research Programs

Students who participate in these programs receive room and board to live on campus during the summer as a part of a vibrant research community.

• PRISE  – Harvard College Program for Research in Science and Engineering
• BLISS  – Harvard College Building Learning through Inquiry in the Social Sciences
• PRIMO  – Harvard Business School/Harvard College Program for Research in Markets and Organizations
• SHARP  – Summer Humanities and Arts Research Program
• Harvard Amgen Scholars Program
• PCER  - Program in Community Engaged Research
• SURGH  - Summer Undergraduate Research in Global Health
• SPUDS - Summer Program for Undergraduates in Data Science
• FAS Center for Systems Biology Undergraduate Summer Internship

Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)

• FAS Center for Systems Biology
• Harvard Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory Research Experience for Undergraduates Program
• SEAS Research Experience for Undergraduates

Domestic Research Funding

• HCRP - Harvard College Research Program
• Center for American Political Studies
• Charles Warren Center for American History
• Committee on Ethnicity, Migration and Rights
• Harvard Center for the Environment
• Harvard Forest Summer Program
• Harvard Stem Cell Institute
• Herchel Smith Undergraduate Science Research Program
• Mind, Brain and Behavior
• Microbial Sciences Initiative
• Museum of Comparative Zoology
• Saloma Fund for Government

International Research Funding

• Asia Center
• Center for Hellenic Studies
• Center for Jewish Studies
• Davis Center
• Korea Institute
• Harvard College Research Program
• Harvard Global Health Institute: International Internship in Global Health and Summer Undergraduate Research
• South Asia Institute
• Ukrainian Research Institute
• Weatherhead Center for International Affairs

International Travel

International study is an enriching experience, but financing study abroad can seem daunting. Funding is available for many options, including study at a foreign university, participation in humanitarian relief efforts, and internships.

There are different ways to include an international experience into your Harvard career. Students who receive grant assistance from Harvard can transfer their financial aid to an approved term-time study abroad program. You'd prefer to do a summer program? The Harvard Summer School may be able to help. Or you could design your own travel experience during summer or winter break. However you choose to do it, funding can make international study experiences possible.

Start your search at the  Mignone Center for Career Success (MCS)  and the  Office of International Education . Below you'll find a selection of offices and programs that offer grants for international travel, organized by location.

• Center for African Studies
• Edwin O Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies
• Fairbank Center
• Harvard China Fund
• Center for European Studies

Latin America and Caribbean

• David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies

Middle East and North Africa

• Center for Middle Eastern Studies

Multiple Locations

• FXB Field Education Internship Program
• Romance Languages and Literature – Dressler and Diaco grants
• Weissman International Internship Program
• Harvard Alumni Association Spring Break Trips

Career Opportunities

Whether you are looking for a term-time job, trying to secure a summer internship, or are exploring potential career paths, we’re here to help.

• Student Employment Office (SEO) Jobs Database : On- and off-campus employers list summer and term-time jobs on the SEO Jobs Database. You can use this database to browse opportunities and apply to full-time, part-time, and intermittent jobs.
• Federal Work-Study Program (FWSP) : If you are eligible for FWSP (check your financial aid letter), this program can subsidize your wages for jobs, making you a better candidate. 
• Mignone Center for Career Success (MCS) : MCS is your hub for programs and resources to help you explore careers, find jobs, and investigate graduate school options. 
• Crimson Careers Database : This database is available to current students and alumni who want to find opportunities or post available positions.
• Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) : The HAA maintains and enhances an engaged, vibrant community of alumni and friends worldwide.
• Harvard Student Agencies (HSA) : HSA provides Harvard students with meaningful opportunities for employment and hands-on business education.
• Global Networking Night : This biennial event brings alumni together for a fun networking event.
• January ‘Winternships' : Many students use Wintersession (the week before spring term begins) to pursue an internship in a field that interests them.

Opportunities After Graduation

Seniors may consider applying for fellowships and scholarships to fund graduate study, travel, public service, research, and other experiences after graduation. The Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (URAF) administers both Harvard-specific and national opportunities and helps advise students exploring the wide of array of possibilities. Learn more about postgraduate funding opportunities on  URAF’s website .

Related Topics

As a college within a research university, Harvard undergraduates have access to unparalleled research opportunities. Learn about research at Harvard.

From physical spaces to funding, Harvard provides the support for students to follow their curiosity as they investigate and explore their world.

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Find Opportunities

With so many opportunities for research, study, travel, public service, and more at Harvard and beyond, it's tough to know where to begin! The resources in this section are aimed at helping you think through your ideas and connecting you with resources to find opportunities that fit your goals. 

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Undergraduate Research

The opportunity to conduct authentic research under the supervision of a faculty mentor can be one of the most meaningful components of an undergraduate education. Below please find a directory of undergraduate research opportunities compiled by one of the Bok Center's graduate fellows, which may serve as a supplement to Harvard College's resources on undergraduate research .

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Summer research opportunities for undergraduates.

Summer is a great time to get involved in research, whether it's in a field you intend to study seriously, or in one you just want to try out. There are many opportunities for funding, as you'll see below, and you are encouraged to take advantage of these. Note that most REU application deadlines run from mid January to early March , so you should get started in early January (or late in the fall semester if some of the early deadlines mentioned below are relevant). In addition to being a fun way to spend your summer, a research job will (1) allow you to learn lots of things, (2) give you a flavor of what grad school and industry are like, if these are in your plans, and (3) allow various scientists to get to know you and your work, which is always a good thing (actually, a necessary thing) when it comes time to obtain letters of recommendation. Some programs require you to have completed your sophomore or junior year, but there are also plenty that are available for freshmen. So if you're interested in doing research, there's no excuse for not getting started early. Start searching around, an join in the fun! Your summer research can be funded in five basic ways. The funds may come from:

• An REU program (this money comes from the NSF).
• Other organized programs that aren't REUs.
• The Physics Department.
• Various Harvard fellowships/programs.
• A specific faculty member (that is, from internal lab funds).

In more detail, these five basic ways to get funding are:

• REU Programs: Professors throughout the country can apply for "Research Experiences for Undergraduates" (REU) grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Undergraduates in turn can apply to these programs for the opportunity to do summer research. There are many programs in a variety of scientific fields. The application deadlines generally run from mid January to early March. The webpage with the list of all the existing programs is: NSF's Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program There are lots and lots of fields listed here, including Physics, Materials Research, Astronomy, Chemistry, Computer Science, Biology, and many more. So don't just look at the Physics ones! Programs are sometimes added late to the list, so check it periodically for changes.  

Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI) at National Labs, funded by DOE Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory DOE Scholars Program Caltech's Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) and other programs Perimeter Scholars International Summer Research Opportunities at Harvard (SROH) Summer Internship Programs at Fermilab Research Internships in Science and Engineering (in Germany) NIST SURF NASA Internships Lincoln Labs/MIT Princeton Plasma Physics Lab Netherlands Foundation for Research in Astonomy Wolfram Research (Mathematica) National Security Agency NCAR Computational Science Mignone Center for Career Success  

• The Harvard Physics Department has some funds available for summer research on campus. The deadline for applying is Sunday, March 24, 2024. David Morin will send out a link to the application in mid March. The basic strategy for finding a professor and forming a proposal is to look around for a few professors whose work interests you, and to then start knocking on doors and sending out emails. Informal, but effective. See this list of the Physics faculty , and also this list organized by Research area . These funds are limited, which means that the larger the number of students who stay on campus, the smaller the funding amount will be. You are therefore encouraged to apply to REU programs. If you don't have a specific reason to stay at Harvard over the summer, it would be a shame to ignore the mindboggling number of REUs out there. If you decide to decline them in favor of a lab here at Harvard, that's fine. But for one summer, you may want to take advantage of the opportunity to explore things and visit another university. Travel around the world, see interesting places and people, and do physics. One caveat: If you are planning on going to physics grad school, you should definitely spend at least one summer here at Harvard (perhaps two), bookended with one or two 90r's before and/or after, to have an extended period of time for your research. If you do reseach here at Harvard with Physics Dept funding, your overall funding will likely come from a combination of sources: Physics Dept, HCRP, and internal lab funds.  
• Harvard has various other souces of funding.  There are many programs listed on the Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (URAF) page . In particular: 1) The Harvard College Research Program is an important source of funding. Their deadline is also Sunday, March 24, 2024. To be eligible for Physics funding, you  must apply to HCRP. 2) The  PRISE Program offers housing along with social and educational events. You are strongly encouraged to apply. The deadline is early: Tuesday, February 13, 2024. 3) You should also consider applying for the Herchel Smith Fellowship . The deadline is very early: Sunday, February 4, 2024. This is a fantastic fellowship. If you get it, it basically takes care of all your summer-money worries. 4) If you are interested in going abroad, you should consider the Weissman  Fellowship.  5) Other Harvard sources of funding can be found on the Office of Career Services page and on the above URAF page.  
• Internal lab funds:   You can avoid all the above funding issues by going directly to a professor who happens to have some grant money available for undergraduate summer research. Some do, some don't. This strategy definitely requires some running around. But note well -- it would be very unwise to use only this strategy unless you have an early guarantee that it's going to work.

Contact David Morin if you have any questions. Good luck!!

[Note: The Harvard funds listed on this page are available only to Harvard students.]

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• Undergraduate Research Spotlight

FALL 2022 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

December 5, 2022 5-6pm at the cabot science library discovery bar  .

Come and meet your Harvard undergraduate peers and learn about their research projects and experiences conducting scientific and engineering research at Harvard and abroad. Students will present short "lightning" talks, followed by Q&A. This event is sponsored by the FAS Science Education. If you have questions about this event please contact Kate Penner .

If you are a graduating senior and would like to present at the event, please email Kate Penner   to sign up. Deadline is December 2, 2022.

Past Presenters:

FALL 2021 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

October 13, 2021 12pm -1:30pm cabot library discovery bar  .

Come and meet your Harvard undergraduate peers and learn about their research projects and experiences conducting scientific and engineering research at Harvard and abroad. Students will present 3-minute lightning talks, followed by Q&A. This event is co-sponsored by the FAS Science Education and Harvard Library. If you have questions about this event please contact Dr. Logan McCarty .

If you are a graduating senior and would like to present at the event, please email Dr. Logan McCarty to obtain application, abstract deadline is October 1, 2021.

SPRING 2021 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

March 24, 2021 12pm -1:30pm (zoom)  .

Come and meet your Harvard undergraduate peers and learn about their research projects and experiences conducting scientific and engineering research at Harvard and abroad. Students will present 3-minute lightning talks (zoom), followed by Q&A. This event is sponsored by the FAS Science Education. If you have questions about this event please contact Dr. Logan McCarty .

If you are a graduating senior and would like to present at the event, please email Dr. Logan McCarty to obtain application, abstract deadline is March 1, 2021.

FALL 2020 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

November 5, 2020 12pm -1:30pm  , undergrad research spotlight fall 2019 gallery.

• Undergrad Research Spotlight 2019 Fall Gallery (Part 2)

FALL 2019 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

October 16, 2019 12pm cabot library first floor.

Undergrad Research Spotlight Spring 2019 Gallery

• Undergrad Research Spotlight 2019 Spring Gallery (Part 2)

SPRING 2019 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

March 1st, 2019 12PM  Cabot Library first floor

Undergrad Research Spotlight Fall 2018 Gallery

Undergraduate research spotlight fall 2018 gallery (part 2).

FALL 2018 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

Undergrad Research Spotlight Spring 2018 Gallery

Undergraduate research spotlight 2018 poster session.

SPRING 2018 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

April 6, 2018 12PM  Cabot Library first floor

Undergrad Research Spotlight 2017 Gallery

FALL 2017 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

October 11, 2017 12PM  Cabot Library first floor

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Kempner Kicks Off Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Eleven Harvard undergraduates welcomed as inaugural KRANIUM participants

This year's cohort of KRANIUM students is comprised of 11 Harvard undergraduates, each undertaking an individual research project investigating the foundations of intelligence in natural and artificial systems.

Cambridge, MA—On June 10 the Kempner Institute welcomed its first cohort of undergraduate summer students for the start of KRANIUM, a 9-week intensive summer research program in intelligence for Harvard undergraduates.

This summer’s participants include 11 Harvard students at various stages of their undergraduate studies–from first year students to seniors. Each student is supervised by a Kempner-affiliated faculty member and undertakes an individual research project investigating the foundations of intelligence in natural and artificial systems. This summer’s student projects cover a diverse range of intelligence topics,  from using machine learning to predict antibiotic resistance, to employing large language models to better understand how linguistic attributes correlate with neural signals in electrocorticogram recordings of the brain.

Sponsored by the Kempner Institute as part of the Harvard Summer Undergraduate Research Village (HSURV), KRANIUM (Kempner Research in Artificial & Natural Intelligence for Undergraduates with Mentorship) provides funding, room & board, mentorship, and a host of educational and community programming for participating students. 

In addition to the KRANIUM summer program, the Kempner also offers undergraduate research opportunities during the fall and spring semesters through the KURE program. To learn more, visit the undergraduate research programs page on our website.

The full list of Summer 2024 KRANIUM participants, mentors and projects are listed below:

About the Kempner

The  Kempner Institute  seeks to understand the basis of intelligence in natural and artificial systems by recruiting and training future generations of researchers to study intelligence from biological, cognitive, engineering, and computational perspectives. Its bold premise is that the fields of natural and artificial intelligence are intimately interconnected; the next generation of artificial intelligence (AI) will require the same principles that our brains use for fast, flexible natural reasoning, and understanding how our brains compute and reason can be elucidated by theories developed for AI. Join the Kempner  mailing list  to learn more, and to receive updates and news.

Recent Related News

Kure undergraduates celebrate completion of spring research projects, kempner announces new programs in intelligence for harvard undergrads, announcing 2024 kempner post-baccalaureate scholars.

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Premed/Pre-Health June Newsletter

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Happy Summer, officially !

Welcome to the June Premed/Pre-health Newsletter! This “monthly” summary email includes upcoming events tailored to premed/pre-health students. These events may be hosted by MCS, or outside events open to all. In addition, we will make advising announcements via the newsletter, such as upcoming items like course registration advising hours, drop-ins, advising policies, and reminders to engage with application advising resources when the time is right. Please note that this newsletter is a complementary email to the MCS weekly digest you receive based on your subscription preference.

Premed & Pre-Health Announcements

Summer Advising Reminder

• June: Appointments are currently only available for those applying this summer. All other advisees should plan to book once we resume regular advising in August. Urgent advising questions can always be forwarded to [email protected] .
• We will continue to send important updates about the medical school application process via  the MCS Applicant listserv throughout the summer. As a quick reminder, if you are applying to medical school in 2024 for matriculation in 2025, make sure you are signed up for our applicant listserv and have reviewed our 2025 application cycle advising onboarding materials. If you need this information, please let us know at  [email protected] . 
• For a full breakdown of our summer advising schedule, see our MCS pre-health homepage .

MCAT Book Drive!

In collaboration with HUPS Community Care Collaborative, MCS hosts a library of donated MCAT books for student use. Loans will be provided for Fall, Spring, or summer study periods and be distributed at the beginning of each study block. Donate now to help make healthcare education more accessible! Just fill out this 30 second form and reach out to [email protected] to donate your books/study materials to your peers.

For those looking to borrow books from the lending library, please complete the linked form and anticipate a follow-up message from MCS.

Gap Year Opportunities

• The Program Manager position provides an outstanding individual with an opportunity to engage in high impact front-line global health programs. The Program Manager helps to lead Unite For Sight’s program divisions, while contributing creative and cutting-edge ideas to a leading global health organization.
• The Precision Neuromodulation Clinic (PNC) at the Palo Alto VA is offering a paid, in-person position as a clinical technician. Responsibilities of this position include delivering transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) treatments under the supervision of senior clinicians to patients with psychiatric conditions, administration of symptom scales, entry of electronic medical records notes, administrative duties, and assisting in implementing quality and process improvement projects. The position requires strong interpersonal skills to work effectively with patients, as well as to coordinate care with a multi-disciplinary clinical team, the ability to multi-task, and strong motivation to help patients with different forms of mental illness. The position is ideal for a recent college graduate who would like to gain hands-on experience working with patients in preparation for attending medical school or other allied health professional school. Students who have majored in psychology and related disciplines are particularly encouraged to apply. The attending physicians at our clinic are dually appointed Stanford University School of Medicine professors. This is a full time, full benefits position. This job will be available beginning Fall 2024 and requires at least a two-year commitment. Additionally, this is a federal position and requires US citizenship. 

Please send a cover letter, CV and at least two references from prior work experiences to  [email protected]  and CC Dr. Jong Yoon,  [email protected] .

• PBHA is looking for recent graduates (up to 4 years out) to apply for our first year Nonprofit Management Fellow position. To learn more about the position and to apply, review the job posting. We will be reviewing applications this month before starting interviews in early July. Please reach out to Cass Morales ( [email protected] ) with any questions.

Additional Opportunities

• MCS keeps a running list of  clinical volunteering sites  in the Cambridge/Boston area. On our  Getting Experience  page, you can find this information under the “Clinical Volunteering” tab.
• Personal Care Aid Opportunity
• I’m a 30 year old researcher at Harvard Medical School. I use a wheelchair and am looking for help with:
• full transferring (50 Ibs)
• dressing 
• housekeeping and meal prep (during same shifts as above)

Shifts are every weekday: 

• morning (7:30-10 AM)
• afternoon (.5-1 hr between 1 and 3 PM *MOST URGENT NEED*)
• evening (5-6/7 PM). 

Most shifts will occur either at home in Cambridgeport or at my office in Longwood. I’m looking for people to begin ASAP with weekly hours and flexible scheduling at $20/hr. No minimum hours or prior experience is required. 

Contact by email or text with interest or questions! Emily Ackerman, 607-376-1882,  [email protected]

• Navigators will work in Boston Medical Center’s Pediatric Neurology clinic rooms and meet one-on-one with epilepsy patients aged 12-26 to connect them with personalized resources. We have shifts available from 9am to 1pm, and 1pm to 5pm, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and we ask that students commit to at least one 4-hour session every week throughout a semester. Navigators will also be required to work at least 1-2 hours per week remotely. Detailed information about the opportunity can be found  here  (detailed description) and  here  (flier).  The plan is for training and volunteering to occur over the summer, with continuation into the fall –   we are looking for folks with summer 2024  and  fall 2024 availability.  Students do not have to commit to the same shift in both the summer and fall. 

We have internal leadership positions, unique opportunities to build relationships with providers, and shadowing. Interested individuals can send their resume and cover letter to Meenal Khandaker at [email protected] .

Research 

• A standing list of summer and term-time Harvard research opportunities on campus and abroad.
• Research Advising .
• Research Transportation Funding
• The Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (URAF) serves Harvard College students as well as faculty and administrators across the university as the primary source of information about undergraduate research and prestigious scholarships at Harvard and beyond.
• The URAF conference funding program supports Harvard College undergraduate students in presenting their original, independent research (poster or paper) at an academic conference. Awards are available year-round with a rolling deadline to apply for funding. Undergraduate students from all concentrations are encouraged to apply.

Community Engagement

• The hub and department that provides support for all public service efforts at Harvard College.
• The largest student-run, community-based, nonprofit public service organization at Harvard College.

Professional Development

• On behalf of the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, I would like to invite your students to attend our Virtual Information Session on  Wednesday, June 26, 2024 at 4:00 PM ET.  We offer a 4 year, fully accredited MD program and are located in New York, approximately 30 miles outside of Manhattan.

This 60-minute webinar will include a presentation on our curriculum and admissions process by Rona Woldenberg, MD, Associate Dean for Admissions, Professor of Radiology. A student panel will also be joining us to answer all of their questions.

To register, please  CLICK HERE

• Rutgers New Jersey Medical School Virtual Admission Seminars
• Thursday, June 20 th  at 4:00pm
• Wednesday, June 26 th  at 12pm

The session will be a great opportunity to learn more about Rutgers New Jersey Medical School (NJMS), including all aspects of our application process, interview tips, curriculum, clinical and research opportunities, student life and support services, etc.

• Register for the sessions .
• The first 15 minutes of these session will provide an overview of the College of Medicine-Tucson, presented by the admissions team, and the remaining 45 minutes will be set aside for Q&A with our medical students. The info session gives applicants an opportunity to learn about the curriculum, programs, student groups, and what the experience of the medical students at College of Medicine – Tucson is like. The sessions help applicants learn information about a school or community that they may not glean off a website, and that can improve their secondary and interview performance.
• Info Session Dates: 6/28 12-1pm MST, 7/19 12-1pm MST
• to register fill out poll
• 2-day online conference, 10 informational sessions available to attendees + Welcome sessions.
• Date 7/25 & 7/26, 9 am – 3 pm pst
• Students $25
• Learn more and RSVP
• This is a fundraising event to help support PHD’s 2024/2025 programming year! We appreciate your support and attendance.
• You’re invited to the 22nd annual Pre-Health Conference

November 2nd, 2024

8 am – 4:20 pm at UC Davis

Every year, we host up to 3,000 college students and alumni attendees from across California and the nation. Students from Community Colleges, Four-Year Universities, Post-Bac Programs, and alumni are invited along with Counselors and Advisors.

Attendees will be able to explore various health fields throughout the day, including the pre-health fair and afternoon workshop sessions.  During the Fair , learn how to become a competitive applicant from admissions staff and deans of admissions.  During the Workshops , learn directly from practicing professionals and other experts. For more information about our programs and workshops, check out the Pre-Health Conference website pages  workshops , and the  Pre – Health   Fair .  

What is Conference like?

• Explore the  attendee   page  to see what past attendees have said
• Download our  2023 Conference Program .
• The 200+ exhibitors from a wide variety of health institutions
• 70+ workshops across 3 workshop sessions
• Stay connected on social media

Why should you register?

Registered attendees will have the opportunity to:

• Explore 20+ health professions, including medicine, physicians assistant, nursing, and more all day.
• Network with deans of admission from health professional programs and organizations during the  Pre-Health Fair .
• Learn from current professionals, professional students, and admissions staff during the  workshop sessions .

Register today: 

Attendee Registration (non-UC Davis student fee is $35)

Group Registration

Resources & Readings

General Resources

• Check out the Financing Your Medical Education section of our Admissions Academic Requirements and Policies page .
• Collection of AAMC & Medical School Resources and Recordings
• In case you missed the AAMC Spring 2024 Virtual Medical School Fair, you can watch each session recording on our YouTube fair playlist .

Financial Aid & Fee Assistance Programs

• Not just for current applicants – apply for FAP prior to taking the MCAT to use any benefits for which you may qualify!
• In preparation for the application opening, the Fee Assistance Program team held an informational webinar to share updates about the 2024 AAMC Fee Assistance Program. This webinar covered the 2024 Fee Assistance Program benefits, eligibility requirements, the application process, etc. Register today and you will be able to view the recording.
• Did you know the AAMC has a free, searchable database of state and federal loan forgiveness programs?
• These tips are brought to you by FIRST (Financial Information, Resources, Services, and Tools) – an AAMC service that provides free resources to help you make wise financial decisions.
• ADEA : Fee Assistance Program
• VMCAS : Fee Assistance Program

Entrance Exams & Situational Judgment Tests

• Registration for July-September 2024 MCAT test dates are now open.
• Learn more about the DAT (Dental)
• Dates for July onward are still open to book!

Connect with Professional Organizations

• AAMC : Premed Navigator Newsletter
• ADEA : GoDental Free E-Newsletter Sign-Up
• Case Western’s All Access: Med School Admission Podcast (collection of interviews with many medical school admissions officers)
• AAMC’s Aspiring Docs Video series
• AAMC’s recommended podcasts for premeds
• D.O. or Do Not: Osteopathic Podcast
• ADEA (Dental) – links on top right of page
• AAVMC (Veterinary) – links at bottom of page
• PAEA (Physician Assistant) – links at bottom of page
• OptomCAS (Optometry) – links at top of page
• AACPM (Podiatry) – links at bottom of page
• NursingCAS (Nursing) – links at bottom of page

For a full list of MCS programs and employer events, check out the MCS Calendars .  Best Regards, Premedical and Health Careers Advising at MCS [email protected]

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Quantum Noir fosters sense of community among individuals of color interested or involved in quantum science, nanoscience, engineering

Anne J. Manning

Harvard Staff Writer

Howard computer engineering major Malcolm Bogroff asks a question at the Quantum Noir conference held earlier this month at Harvard.

Photos by Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer

Jada Emodogo arrived at the recent Quantum Noir conference knowing no one.

The incoming Harvard Quantum Initiative graduate student already knew she had an interest in the field. But that wasn’t the same as feeling there may be a place for her in it.

“Being able to congregate with different professionals in the field gives me hope for the future, and it really affirms that what I want to do, and what I’m able to do, is right here,” she said.

Emodogo, a recent Jackson State University graduate, was among more than 100 attendees of the inaugural Quantum Noir conference at Harvard on June 11-14, a quantum science and engineering event aimed at students and scientists of color. Faculty at Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Dartmouth, and many other colleges led sessions that blended overviews of the latest advances in quantum science with non-technical subjects such as entrepreneurship, venture capital, and how to navigate spaces in the field as an underrepresented minority.

The initiative was the brainchild of William Wilson, executive director of Harvard’s Center for Nanoscale Systems . A longtime supporter of the Conference for African-American Researchers in the Mathematical Sciences, Wilson dreamt for years of creating a similar event for nanoscale and quantum physics.

“This really was a missing link, in the sense that we’re not educating students in this space … and we’re letting that talent go do something else. We’re letting that talent go work on satellites, as opposed to working on semiconductors,” Wilson said.

With support from the National Science Foundation, Wilson and colleagues launched Quantum Noir to create a community of researchers, innovators, and students of color interested or involved in quantum science, nanoscience, and engineering. Organizers hope to create a “more inclusive future” for the field by training the best and most diverse set of minds to conquer its hardest problems — from networking hardware to algorithm development.

William Wilson, who led the drive to launch Quantum Noir, opens the conference.

Nathalie de Leon, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Princeton University.

Sean Persaud (left) and Xavier Jackson, both from the University of the West Indies at St. Augustine.

James Whitfield, Amazon Visiting Academic, Amazon Web Services.

A number of attendees hailed from historically Black colleges and universities, including undergraduates, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty from Howard University and Morehouse College . Preconference tutorials introduced the basics of quantum computing and quantum networks, and subsequent technical sessions were designed to be accessible to students or researchers without a deep background in any particular field. Howard computer engineering major Malcolm Bogroff was one such undergraduate, with designs on graduate school but open to different directions. The rising sophomore appreciated the conference’s approach. “I think the sessions toe the line, where you can have people at the graduate student, and maybe higher undergraduate level, able to understand and ask questions,” he said.

Harvard College alumnus Makinde Ogunnaike ’17 was among those who helped students such as Bogroff get the most out of the conference. A recent Ph.D. graduate of MIT, Ogunnaike served as a student ambassador of the conference and helped co-organize networking events. Gatherings like Quantum Noir are critical to promoting exposure and community, he said.

“This conference is one of the few venues that supports Black and other underrepresented researchers both professionally and personally,” said Ogunnaike, who credited mentorship he received at the National Society of Black Physicists as an undergrad with helping him pivot from experimental particle physics to theoretical condensed matter physics.

“Just as there is a ‘hidden curriculum’ in school, where best practices and institutional resources can be hidden to people who are not familiar with elite institutions or higher education, the world of scientific research has many hidden disparities,” he said.

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Week of June 24, 2024

• Author By Danitra Anna Bennett
• Publication date June 21, 2024
• Categories: Enterprise Research Campus (ERC) Utility Enabling Work

Kresge   Way   and Extension of Thermal Pipes and Electrical Duct Bank  

• Final striping will take place at the end of the month.    

Enterprise Research Campus (ERC)   

• Work is scheduled for Saturday, June 22 starting at 7 a.m.     
• The Treehouse Conference Center will be backfilling.   
• The residential/hotel will be using a tower crane to move the safety nets and will have some workers on the floors.
•  A small crew of laborers will be working at the laboratory project.  
• Structural steel continues to be delivered and installed using the tower cranes at the lab buildings.   
• Hoists (exterior temporary elevators) and loading docks are being installed at the residential buildings.  
• Concrete and rebar operations are ongoing. 
• Mass timber is being installed at the Treehouse conference center. 
• The Treehouse concrete core work is finishing up. 
• Intermittent use of power trowels for concrete finishing may take place after 6 a.m. 
• The mid-rise building has topped off.  
• Steel work is up to level 13 of the high-rise residential buildings.    
• The hotel steel is progressing to level 17 with work continuing on the periscope, the cantilevered section of the building.  
• Utility tie-in work will progress inside the fence near Western Avenue.  
• Four tower cranes are operating on site and are designed to move or “weathervane” in the wind when not operational. 
• Punchlist work and adjustments are ongoing on the Residential/Hotel, Conference Center, and Laboratory mockups with an occasional lane shift on Rotterdam Street for use of a lift and possible deliveries. 
• Drones will be in use weekly to monitor construction progress on site.  
• Drones will be operated by licensed pilots in accordance with Harvard University and the City of Boston regulations. 
• Flights are weather dependent and are scheduled on weekdays alternating weekly.  
• A drone flight is scheduled for Wednesday, June 26 at 7 a.m. and later that afternoon.   

92 Seattle Street   

• Electrical work and painting preparation inside of the building is scheduled to occur Saturday, June 22.   
• Preparation work is underway for a mural to be painted along the Rena Path side of the building.   
• Small concrete placements and exterior activities are underway for the addition on the façade and ramp area taking place on the east side of the site.  
• Sidewalk work inside the site fence along the bus lot will be underway.   
• Interior work continues to progress. 

175 North Harvard Street,100 South Campus Drive, 201 Western Avenue Lot Expansion   Construction has begun on the new American Repertory Theater (ART), which will be located at the front of the 175 North Harvard parcel with the new Harvard University affiliate housing building already under construction behind it.  

• Steel will be installed using the tower crane on Saturday, June 22.   
• Daily concrete form/rebar work and placement continue on the residential north elevator core tower, foundation walls and other areas.  
• A tower crane is operating on site. At the end of each shift, the crane will be left in weathervane mode with safety lighting turned inward. 

On the new American Repertory Theater (ART) work site, small concrete pours are taking place every few days and waterproofing operations continue.   

• Removal of regulated soils from the stockpile continues with up to 20 truckloads or intermodal containers expected daily (see 201 Western Ave lot usage below).   
• The project continues to work on the building’s footings and foundation walls, backfill operations, and duct bank work.   
• Daily material deliveries for the backfill operations are ongoing.  
• Soil is stockpiled on site and is being covered to minimize dust. 

General 175 North Harvard Street   

• South Campus Drive has been redirected to one way traffic from Western Avenue to North Harvard Street, occasional closures may be necessary to support the project 
• Vehicles will not be allowed to enter from the North Harvard Street entrance to South Campus Drive.  
• Because concrete pours cannot be stopped mid-pour, some of these operations may occasionally go slightly later than 6 p.m. The contractor will make every effort to minimize this. 
• Wheel washing and street sweeping continues. 
• Deliveries are ongoing. 
• Site work hours are 7 a.m.-4 p.m. 
• The MBTA bus stop in front of the building has been relocated closer to South Campus Drive. 

201 Western Avenue lot   

• Lot expansion is finishing up at the 201 Western Avenue lot,   where construction workers park and field offices are set up and in use.   
• The paving and striping for the lot expansion is complete behind the Art Lab. Construction work will take place in the walkway  next week.  
• Temp lighting installation will take place, followed by electrical enclosure installations.   
• During the removal of soils, the 201 Western Ave lot rear gate will be used for truck and intermodal container access and lining. Trucks will enter at 201 Western Avenue, undergo lining at the back of the lot and exit from the rear  gate onto North Harvard Street.  Those using rail transport will use Western Avenue to the ERC Hague Street gate and use internal site roads (Trotting Avenue and the haul road) to the Beacon Rail Yard.    

210 North Harvard Street   

• The fit-out team is installing an outdoor freezer in the loading dock area off Bertram Street.  
• Permanent power feeds will be connected within the next few weeks. 

108 Holton Street   

• The building has been demolished; crews are removing debris.   
• A soil removal operation is underway. Trucks are hauling soil in intermodal containers to and from the Beacon rail yard via the ERC site and Western Avenue.      

55 Antwerp Street   

• The bulk of utility work is complete.
• Drainage activity and a bike rack installation are set to take place inside the lot area.  

Soldiers Field Garage Masonry Repairs   

• Masonry repairs will take place on the northern brick exterior off the alley adjacent to the Soldiers Field Park Building 2. Crews have been setting up cables for swing staging from the roof deck.   A lift is being used to conduct this work during regular working hours from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays with set up beginning at 7 a.m.  

Harvard professors’ newly published research reveals existing U.S. non-racial “reparatory compensation” programs demonstrate the feasibility of reparations for racial harms

In a new article, Linda Bilmes and Cornell William Brooks examine the many ways the United States has already compensated individuals who have suffered nonracial harms. Now, they say, there is the “precedent, expertise, and resources” to repair racial disparities.

The idea of reparations to Black Americans is not new.

In 1793, formerly enslaved Belinda Royall petitioned the Massachusetts General Court for a pension from her enslaver. In 1865, a short-lived wartime decree granted "forty acres and a mule" to freed slaves. 

Today, cities from Boston to Berkeley, states from California to New Jersey, and the U.S. Congress, grappling with the effects on Black Americans of systemic racial inequality, are creating commissions and/or considering legislation to determine whether reparations should be used to address historically documented and economically quantified racial harms.

The lead article, “Normalizing Reparations: U.S. Precedent, Norms, and Models for Compensating Harms and Implications for Reparations to Black Americans,” published in a dedicated two-volume issue of the Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences , examines known harms inflicted on Black Americans beginning with slavery. Further, it suggests the United States already knows how to make reparations, as it has done in numerous instances throughout its history. “In addition to cash stipends, our research shows compensation and benefits to victims come in several forms,” the authors write. “The federal government has been creative in devising compensation such as health-care guarantees, tax rebates, education, housing, training, and relocation.”

“The federal government has been creative in devising compensation such as health-care guarantees, tax rebates, education, housing, training, and relocation.”

Linda bilmes & cornell william brooks.

“Our research set forth an illustrative taxonomy of racial harms that Black Americans endured,” the authors continued.  “These underrecognized and uncompensated categories of racial harms in housing, education, health, and wages and employment resemble nonracial harms routinely compensated through reparatory compensation.”

“The numerosity and diversity of reparatory compensation programs created by our government makes clear that reparations for nonracial harms is regular and routine. Juxtaposing the audit of reparatory compensation programs with the taxonomy of reparation-less racial harms makes clear that America provides reparations to nearly everyone but Black Americans, even for comparably severe harms.”

The article categorizes the harms specific to Black Americans as “complex, interlocking, and compounding” and focuses on housing, education, employment and wages, and labor markets. “These areas most closely align with harms [already] addressed by reparatory compensation programs,” note the authors.

Included in the article is a detailed table of over 36 government programs, beginning as early as 1862 and ranging to the present day, designed to offer some form of compensation for harms against Americans.

Most Americans, they note, received benefits of a reparations package from just a few years ago.

In March of 2020, the federal government through the Treasury Department, created the CARES Act , providing direct relief to individuals and businesses who lost “jobs, income, wages, benefits, housing, food, transportation, childcare, health care, pensions” due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In all, the U.S. government paid out nearly $6 trillion.

“Although the scale of this effort was unprecedented,” Bilmes and Brooks write, “the basic concept was consistent with the long-standing U.S. tradition for providing partial financial amends and benefits to individuals who have experienced certain personal injuries, losses, or economic hardships.”

The article notes the U.S. Department of Military Affairs, with an annual budget of $325 billion, continues to compensate for harms to military veterans with benefits including health care. But also, that, following World War II, Black Americans were largely excluded from a GI Bill for housing and education assistance following their service.

“Juxtaposing the audit of reparatory compensation programs with the taxonomy of reparation-less racial harms makes clear that America provides reparations to nearly everyone but Black Americans.”

It was that kind of exclusion, they say, that led to much of the racial disparity in our country. “Racial harms are interrelated,” the authors note. “They compound over time into the present, leaving Black Americans unequal and deserving today.”

Central to any discussion on reparations is the question of who pays and how. “A key finding of our research, is that the federal government draws on designated fees, trust funds, excise taxes, subsidized insurance premiums, and customized financial arrangements to pay for our wide system of reparatory compensation.”

As an example, Bilmes and Brooks cite the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in 2023. President Biden assured Americans that “no losses will be borne by the taxpayers” relying, instead, on the fees banks pay into the FDIC insurance fund.

A similar type of fund exists for compensation for medical claims. In exchange for legal indemnity, vaccine developers pay into the National Vaccine Injury Fund. “In all, the Government Accountability Office has identified 157 distinct plans, where the federal government assumes the insurance risk against harms that may occur.”

Bilmes and Brooks conclude with three policy recommendations.

First, they call for a national commission to study current reparation packages and develop a program that addresses the full range of racial harms to Black Americans, with specific attention to the racial wealth gap.

Second, they ask the Office of Management and Budget and other federal agencies to conduct audits of existing federal compensatory programs since 1865 and programs related to the denial of GI benefits to Black veterans. They also recommend working with historians and economists to create a taxonomy of racial harms, drafting a fiscal model of compensation for all living Black WWII and Korean veterans. “This manageable model,” they note, “is meant only to illustrate the variety, efficacy, and impact of reparatory compensation, not limit the scope of reparations for Blacks.”

Finally, they insist on public education. National listening sessions “in venues related to Black history” will allow the public to share their histories and documents. Bilmes and Brooks also plan further survey research to understand how best to communicate the findings of this paper.

This is essential, they say, in exposing in relatable terms the harms experienced by Black Americans and the types of compensatory reparations available.  

Photography by AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

More from HKS

The united states pays reparations every day—just not to black america, history, culture, and policy all influence the state of black america and democracy today, hks faculty explain, if you don’t have multiracial democracy, you don’t have democracy at all.

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Georgina Dopico Named as NYU’s Provost

A scholar of early modern Spain and its empire

NYU President Linda G. Mills today named Georgina Dopico—an award-winning scholar of the literature, history, and culture of early-modern Spain; a member of NYU’s faculty since 2000; and interim provost since 2022—as provost, effectively immediately. Dopico was named to the chief academic officer position following a 7-month international search that reviewed dozens of strong candidates.

President Mills said, “Sometimes the best choice is the one that is closest at hand. Accomplished, exceptionally smart, strategic, thoughtful, and warm, Gigi Dopico stood out even in a field of strong candidates. Respected in her field, trusted and admired as a colleague, and esteemed as a leader, she is a ceaseless advocate for academic excellence, our faculty, and our students. Since I first became president, Gigi has been an outstanding partner as interim provost; I couldn’t be happier that this partnership will continue.”

A member of the NYU faculty in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese Languages and Literatures since 2000, Professor Dopico served as dean for the humanities beginning in 2016. In that role, she created the Bennett-Polonsky Humanities Labs; created the First Book Publishing Colloquium for faculty; launched a Community College Transfer Opportunity Program for NYU’s College of Arts and Science; launched programs to strengthen enrollments in the humanities, and developed three-year pathways to graduation in humanities departments. In 2018, Professor Dopico moved over to the Provost’s Office, where she played a vital role in the University’s response to COVID-19, helping to bring unprecedented flexibility and support to our educational mission during the pandemic, and was responsible for launching NYU Reads, overhauling student course evaluations, and initiating an academic integrity effort.

Since assuming the role of interim provost in 2022, she has led the Office of the Provost in creating a number of important initiatives: the Academic Excellence Equity Action to eliminate educational disparities through the introduction of high-impact practices and resources (including free Kaplan test prep for all NYU students); a new cross-cutting initiative on Migration and Immigration and (in partnership with New York City ) the NYU Asylum Project; a Center for Undergraduate Research to expand access to and support of undergraduate research; increasing graduate-student housing and stipend levels; the Mid-Career Faculty Initiative; the launch of three new provostial centers; the creation of the Culture Care Grants through the Office of Work-Life; the relaunch of the Climate Initiative and of NYU x NYU; the launch of NYU’s Teaching Quality Committee and of an Office for Faculty Awards, and much more.

She is the author of Perfect Wives, Other Women: Adultery and Inquisition in Early Modern Spain (Duke University Press, 2001) and Unstable Anatomies: Bodies and Theaters of Proof in Early Modern Spain (Ediciones Polifemo, 2024/forthcoming) and the co-editor of three important scholarly volumes, including the first edition of a 17th-century Spanish dictionary.

Her work focuses on a time and place—early modern Spain and its global empire—when exclusions based on religion and race (and/or a racialized conception of religious faith) were institutionalized as part of the process of nation formation. Many of the questions her work examines in the context of the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries—from antisemitism and Islamophobia to exile, national sovereignty, torture, and purity of blood—remain hauntingly relevant today. She has authored a number of articles and served as coordinating editor of the Journal of Spanish Cultural Studies from 2006 to 2015. Among the many honors Professor Dopico’s work has received were research fellowships from Spain’s Ministry of Culture, the Modern Language Association’s Katherine Singer Kovacs Prize for Perfect Wives , a Dirección General del Libro award, the Samuel and Ronnie Heyman Prize, and a Whitney Humanities Center Fellowship at Yale. 

She received her undergraduate degree, cum laude , from Harvard, and her MA, MPhil, and PhD—all with highest honors—from Yale, where she was on the faculty before coming to NYU.

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