Nexus Scholars Program

Personal Introduction

I am a political and environmental anthropologist whose research concerns how people politicize “impure” environments in the long afterlife of American industry. Much of my work to date has been based in Baltimore, where I follow industrialism’s enduring traces in toxified landscapes, patchy regulation, quotidian expressions of white supremacy, and particular orientations toward time. I am especially interested in what kinds of environmental futures take form amid these legacies. My newer work, on far-right environmental movements in the Pacific Northwest United States, moves to new terrain but stays with these core themes.

Project Description

This project concerns the rising tide of ecofascist sentiments in the United States. Spectacular acts of ecofascist violence have been in the news given mass shootings by white men who propose that eliminating racialized people will ease environmental pressures, including in Christchurch and El Paso. But they are only the most spectacular face of a pervasive set of structures and beliefs about what, and whom, the environment is for - and whose being counts as existential threat - which this study aims to show are foundational to the United States.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

3

Specific tasks associated with the project work

The Nexus Scholars for this project will collaborate on three main tasks: (1) reviewing and organizing reporting on the rise of ecofascist sentiments in recent years, integrating blog posts, articles, podcasts, essays, and the like into this project's existing media library; (2) reviewing, organizing, and analyzing archival documents from the American Eugenics Society and the Sierra Club, tracking both organizations' concern with population control as a salve for environmental pressures; and drafting a report analyzing how eugenic solutions to environmental problems historically figured in the American environmental movement and how this has changed over time, based on both of the above. The Nexus Scholars should be reliable, communicative, and independent, and can expect to gain experience synthesizing historical documents, news media, and scholarly literature in the humanistic social sciences, as well as familiarity with this pressing topic.

Required Skills and Coursework

Some research experience is preferred, as is a demonstrated interest in the humanities and/or social sciences. Introductory coursework in American studies, anthropology, history, and the environmental humanities would all be beneficial.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Familiarity with research on scholarly databases; reliable and communicative; able to work independently; good sense of limitations and ability to ask for support; ability to synthesize scholarly arguments into key points; ability to note and analyze trends in historical documents; ability to note and analyze trends in popular media; personal commitment to working against ecofascism and other white supremacist environmentalisms.

Personal Introduction

The broad research focus of the lab is the behavioral neuroscience of social behavior. We use teleost fishes as model systems to identify how the brain drives and modulates social behavior.

Project Description

This project focuses on development of a neurogenomic model for aggressive behavior in the context of sound (acoustic) and visual communication. The study group are Danionella minnows, which are among the smallest fish that remains transparent throughout its lifetime. These traits offer a significant advantage for neuroimaging studies of brain circuitry underlying behavior.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

2

Specific tasks associated with the project work

Students will assist in generating transgenic lines for studying the aggressive display behaviors of Danionella minnows. They will learn to label developing neurons with nuclear-localized GCaMP in Danionella fish larvae that are raised to adulthood. Larvae will be screened and phenotyped at 3-7 days post fertilization (dpf), and positive larvae raised in community tanks.

Required Skills and Coursework

Excellent manual dexterity, patience with repetitive tasks. Introductory courses in the biological sciences.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Laboratory courses in the biological sciences.

Personal Introduction

I am an Assistant Professor in the Government Department. My research focuses on the politics of the Middle East and North Africa. Specifically, my research focuses on religion, gender, and governance challenges in the region. I use a variety of research methods, including archival materials, interviews, and public opinion surveys.

Project Description

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is one of the world’s most vulnerable regions to the impacts of climate change. Indeed, the frequency and severity of climate-related disasters are rising faster in MENA than anywhere else in the world; climate disasters have injured and displaced seven million people on average in recent years and caused over $2 billion in physical damages. To study the climate crisis and governance in MENA, this project brings together public opinion survey data, interviews with local politicians, and new data collection on climate legislation, green infrastructure investments, and foreign aid projects in the region.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

3

Specific tasks associated with the project work

Potential tasks: - Analyze public opinion survey data using R. - Create new dataset on climate legislation, green infrastructure investments, and foreign aid projects. - translate and transcribe interviews with local MENA politicians (from Arabic). - Write a case study of one or two countries in the region.

Required Skills and Coursework

Students should have: - experience with data analysis in R or Stata (can be introductory).

Helpful Skills and Coursework

It would be helpful for students to have: - proficiency in Arabic and/or French. - interest in climate issues and potentially relevant coursework on climate issues.

Personal Introduction

I am a Chicana feminist scholar who has published widely on Latinx literature and culture. My work is interdisciplinary in nature, drawing especially on contemporary scholarship in geography, urban planning, and literary criticism.

Project Description

I am currently writing a brief history of Latinx literature and editing an anthology of Latinx literature that will be offered at minimal cost to high school and community college students. This project entails selection of content for the anthology, identification of publishers, meetings with publishers, and ultimately a website to accompany the anthology to provide additional support for students. This project will help a student interested in publishing. I have broad contacts in the field with agents and presses and will be able to help students learn basic skills that will be extremely helpful should they wish to enter the field of publishing as an editor or agent. Students will also have the opportunity to learn the legal and financial complexities of anthology production.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

2

Specific tasks associated with the project work

Read poetry, fiction, and scholarship. Research anthologies in the field to learn their pros and cons. Help with selections for the anthology. Work with faculty to design and create the anthology. Research publication issues with anthology. Draft and edit short headnotes for literary selections.

Required Skills and Coursework

Students should have taken the Intro to Latino/a Literature and/or the Intro to Latino/a Studies.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Students should be comfortable learning new publishing software and be comfortable with MS word. Students should also have some familiarity with library research systems. Ideally, a student will also know how to build a website.

Personal Introduction

I am a sociologist specializing in gender, sexuality, and feminist science studies. My research focuses on the social construction of sexuality knowledge and the politics of population measurement.

Project Description

Nexus scholars will assist on 2 research projects that use similar methods of archival and content analysis. The first project will focus on the use of social science expertise in amicus briefs to the US Supreme Court, and the discussion of the science of sexuality in the news media. A second project (that uses similar methods of archival and content analysis) will focus on media discussion of young people whose decisions to have children are being shaped by concerns about climate change. You may read more about me and my work at www.jamiebudnick.com

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

3

Specific tasks associated with the project work

● Help collect and analyze data for the 2 projects described above ("queer demography" and "kids + climate change"), especially newspaper articles, journal articles, and survey questionnaires ● Collect materials, develop coding schema, and analyze findings using qualitative analysis software ● Conduct literature reviews on topics like sexuality, LGBTQ politics, identity measurement, and social science expertise

Required Skills and Coursework

● Meticulous attention to detail when reading through large volumes of primary data (such as newspaper articles) to identify specific themes, names, ideas, etc. ● Ability to stay organized with electronic data and give updates on independent work ● Ability to learn a new software environment (such as Zotero for organizing readings, Dropbox for organizing project files, Microsoft Excel for basic data management, and perhaps qualitative analysis software that we will learn together) ● Note: you MUST have access to a personal computer on which you can download software and files. A chromebook or ipad is not sufficient. You must have a basic understanding of the difference of working on a local machine (using software and files that are saved to your computer) and working in a virtual or cloud environment (such as Dropbox or Google). In short, you must understand the difference between writing a paper on your computer in Microsoft Word, and writing a paper on any internet browser using Google Docs. If this last bullet point is super confusing, this is not the right project for you.

Personal Introduction

I work in extragalactic astronomy/astrophysics and cosmology, with an emphasis on radio and mm-wave surveys that reveal how the earliest galaxies form and transform gas and dust into stars. I'm involved in several collaborations that generate and analyse simulations and real-world data spanning hundreds of billions of cubic lightyears, with the highly sensitive nature of the instrumentation and surveys requiring numerical and analytic techniques at the cutting edge.

Project Description

Collaborations like COMAP, TIME, and CCAT/FYST are deploying surveys to undertake line-intensity mapping, which involves mapping out how gas distributes itself over large scales across the cosmos in three dimensions to learn about the structures hosting that gas. In this project, we will work to refine our understanding of line-intensity mapping observations, either in simulation or in real-world data. More precisely, the goals are to better understand the behaviour of streams of data from arrays of highly sensitive detectors, and/or to better relate astrophysical/cosmological parameters to summary statistics of reduced data (power spectra, histograms, cross-correlation statistics against external datasets).

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

3

Specific tasks associated with the project work

Students will perform generation and/or analysis of simulated or real-world data, with precise tasks depending on the project as tailored to the student's interests. For instance, students may verify calibration of TIME data based on observations of objects whose sky locations and brightness are known, which would involve analysing repeated observations of such calibrator objects with a pre-existing software framework and synthesising summaries and comparisons for checking consistency across an observing season. In another example, students could investigate the summary statistics of simulated line-intensity maps in cross-correlation with other observables, generating mock data using pre-existing code and building new code as necessary to generate or compare summary statistics. In most sub-projects like these, shared tasks would include creating and/or executing computer programs, creating summary plots or tables, and writing short reports for collaborators who may be interested in the outcome of the project. Throughout the execution of such sub-projects, students will be given readings and other resources as desired so as to aid in learning new skills and scientific context in a way that will guide them in navigating future careers.

Required Skills and Coursework

The student should have prior experience or be motivated to learn computer programming (primarily Python scripting), with a sufficient understanding of control flow to write standalone scripts (not just code in Jupyter notebooks) to be potentially run over the command line. (Prior experience with Unix-like command line tools is not required, however.) Basic knowledge of calculus, linear algebra, and statistics will guide successful work on the project.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

An elementary background in topics in astronomy, astrophysics, and/or cosmology is helpful. Knowledge of further mathematical topics in analysis and numerical techniques (principal component analysis, convolutional operations, Fourier transforms) can guide successful work on the project depending on the student's exact interests. Familiarity with Unix-like command line tools, Git, and numeric/scientific Python are desirable. None of these would be required by any means, only the motivation to learn depending on the student's interests.

Personal Introduction

I have a large and active lab working on problems in functional and evolutionary genomics, primarily with Drosophila. We engage in computational data analysis as well as modeling to understand how genes work and how evolution made them work the way they do.

Project Description

The first project considers male-female differences and asks "How does biological sex modify an essential genome defense pathway to safeguard fertility?" In this project, you will use advanced microscopy, genome editing, and comparative genomics to study the evolution of sexual dimorphism in a molecular pathway that protects fertility in fruit flies. A second project asks how newly arisen genes become essential by studying the evolutionary history and molecular mechanisms of a specified collection of young gene that have become essential for reproduction in fruit flies.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

4

Specific tasks associated with the project work

The student(s) will learn fluorescence in situ imaging of tissues, CRISPR gene editing, and computational analysis of DNA sequences for inference of rates of evolution. We will also do RNA-seq and learn analysis of gene expression data. Drosophila fertility assays will also be done.

Required Skills and Coursework

BioMG 2801 is essential, and any additional genetics/molecular genetics courses would be desirable. Some familiarity with command line linux and basic bioinformatics would be desirable, as would some simple Python coding.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Experience with Drosophila handling and husbandry would be helpful, but you could learn it.

Personal Introduction

We study a wide variety of problems at the interface of physics engineering and the biological sciences.

Project Description

This project in particular will deal with mechanical phase transitions in biological tissues. We are interested in how to design network structures in order to give rise to specific modes of mechanical rigidity.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

1

Specific tasks associated with the project work

Students will be conducting simulation studies on network systems. They will also be using renormalization group approaches that we will teach them to understand their results.

Required Skills and Coursework

We will teach you everything you need to know. We need you to be passionate and able to take initiative in learning the material and driving the project forward.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Statistical physics, CS courses (any programming language is fine).

Personal Introduction

A literary theorist and philosopher by training, I am the only literature professor to be affiliated with Cognitive Science at Cornell, and I published some fifteen books in related fields. The founding Director of the Humanities Lab at Cornell, I am especially invested in non-reductionist research at the interface of the humanities, the arts, and the sciences.

Project Description

World-famous captive bonobo Kanzi and his nephew Nyota are two non-human great apes (NGAs) who, over the course of several decades, have been raised in a symbolic environment that granted them access to aspects of human culture, endowing them with a large comprehension of spoken English and the ability to use arbitrary signs ("lexigrams") for word communication with interlocutors. Our project is the first one to investigate the relation between language and painting in NGAs through a series of experimental tasks under controlled conditions; all sessions (including painting ones) are videotaped by the caretakers. Our goal is to investigate elements of symbolic cognition and art appreciation, as well as differences between great apes, "languaged" bonobos and human populations (children, self-trained artists, prehistoric painters).

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

3

Specific tasks associated with the project work

In the Spring of 2024, both Kanzi and Nyota completed 4 full experimental sessions (each). In the Spring of 2025, both apes (as well as, potentially, members of the "control group") are scheduled to do another set of 4 full experimental sessions. Each session is quite short, usually around 30-45 minutes, and typically consists in 5-8 tasks/tests. All sessions are video-recorded, sometimes by 2 (at most, but rarely, 3) cameras. The student would edit the videos and craft 2 types of films per *task:* one being the real time task (in extenso and with no cut) intended for scientific documentation, the other being a more condensed and edited version targeted to a more general audience. A template for each type will be provided. The student would also be invited to reflect on the process and give a 10-min talk at a trans-disciplinary conference taking place on the topic of the experiment in the Fall at Cornell.

Required Skills and Coursework

The student should already be very familiar with an advanced video editing software—ideally DaVinci Resolve, or equivalent—, as the faculty will not provide training in editing techniques as such. An ability to use online drives/clouds for storage and to work autonomously is presupposed. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the project, students from different disciplines could be a good fit. Previous coursework at the 2000 level or above is required in one or several of the following fields: art history, experimental psychology, primatology, humanistic "animal studies," cognitive science, cinema.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the project, students from different disciplines could be a good fit. Previous coursework at the 2000 level or above is welcome in one or several of the following fields: art history, experimental psychology, primatology, humanistic "animal studies," cognitive science, cinema, literary theory, philosophy, linguistics. The students will be encouraged to do additional scholarly readings to further their comprehension of the experiment.

Personal Introduction

I am a professor in Physics and Materials Science and Engineering. My lab is interested in understanding and exploiting the physical principles that living systems use organize themselves at the supramolecular scale.

Project Description

There are a wide range of possible projects for undergraduates in the laboratory. Specific projects will be chosen on the basis of student interests, goals, and skills. Generally, they involve the studying the structure and dynamics of macromolecular systems.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

3

Specific tasks associated with the project work

Preparing samples of proteins and/or polymers. Quantifying their structure and dynamics with a variety of techniques including microscopy, scattering, spectroscopy, and thermal analysis.

Required Skills and Coursework

Knowledge of physics, chemistry and biology at an introductory level. Basic scientific computing in python or MATLAB. Intermediate level knowledge in (thermodynamics, statistical physics or or physical chemistry) or biochemistry.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Lab courses in physics, chemistry, biochemistry, or biology.

Personal Introduction

My group studies the neural circuit mechanisms of learning and memory in rodents. We investigate how different brain areas interact to support cognitive functions and how this process go awry in brain diseases.

Project Description

The project is aimed at studying the neural circuit mechanisms of spatial and social learning in rodents. We will conduct recordings and manipulations of brain activity while rodents perform different memory tasks to understand how different brain areas are involved in different stages of learning.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

3

Specific tasks associated with the project work

Students will train rodents to perform memory tasks and conduct recordings of behavior and brain activity using implanted electrodes. Students will be involved in performing brain surgeries and analyzing the data collected in the experiments.

Required Skills and Coursework

No specific skills and coursework are required. Students will be taught all necessary skills and background knowledge for the project.

Personal Introduction

I am a theoretical astrophysics who specializes in the study of galaxy evolution, star formation, and cosmology. To do this, I run massive computer simulations of flow of the magnetized plasmas that fill and surround galaxies in order to explain what is being with telescopes and to develop intuitive physical models for the inner workings of our universe.

Project Description

When massive stars die they explode as supernovae, which can drive powerful outflows out of galaxies and temporarily prevent new stars from forming. This process is key to understanding how galaxies evolve, but it is poorly understood, so I am currently simulating this process is great detail. The goal of this project is to make mock observations of these simulations that we can use to compare to real observations and thereby better understand this crucial process.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

3

Specific tasks associated with the project work

The student would use and modify a series of python programs to read in the simulation outputs and produce images of simulations as they would be seen with major astronomical observatories like the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes. These mock observations would then be quantitatively compared to real observations of similar systems.

Required Skills and Coursework

Solid foundation with python programming is required. Similarly a background with mathematics at the level of calculus and differential equations will be necessary.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Some experience with astronomy (e.g. knowledge of the basics of galaxies and cosmology) would be helpful. Additionally any experience with fluid dynamics would be extremely beneficial.

Personal Introduction

I am an experimental physicist pursuing projects in biological physics with an emphasis on the onset of cooperative behavior in microbial systems and in x-ray enabled atomic physics where I am investigating predicted but unobserved photon radiation accompanying the ejection of an electron from an atom. My activities have been enabled through tremendous undergraduate research collaborators.

Project Description

In biological physics, we will be exploiting a new optical particle detection technology we have invented to explore the role of cell clusters as we have recently argued (I. Segota et al., Phys. Bio. 19, 026002 (2022)) are crucial to how microbes promote their own proliferation. In photon science, we will be searching for light that we expect will herald the ejection of an electron from an atom in order to try to resolve our recent surprising discovery (P. Jacobson et al. Phys. Rev. A 104, 042809 (2021)).

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

2

Specific tasks associated with the project work

To assist in the design, operation, and analysis of experiments in one of these two realms.

Required Skills and Coursework

Two strong semesters of science (in physics or biology as appropriate) and mathematics as follows: For our biology project: grades of B or better in two Cornell biology/biochemistry/chemistry courses appropriate for biology, chemistry or physics majors. For our atomic physics project, grades of B or better in two Cornell introductory physics courses which are appropriate for the physics major. For either project grades of B or better in two Cornell math courses that go together with the courses described above.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Experience with MATLAB or the equivalent for either project. Bench biology experience for the biological physics project. Familiarity with electronics for the photon science project.

Personal Introduction

I study the evolution and development of vocal and social learning. My lab focuses on how babies learn to talk and how birds learn to sing.

Project Description

My lab seeks to understand the development of communication as part of a larger parent-infant system, which means that we study parental behavior as well as infant development, we connect prelinguistic social and vocal learning with the development of later linguistic skills (e.g. word learning), and we take a comparative approach to understanding the development and evolution of vocal learning. Current projects include studies of early vocal learning and parental responsiveness in human infants and songbirds.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

1

Specific tasks associated with the project work

Infant lab: running experiments, coding behaviors and vocalizations from video and audio recordings, recruiting and scheduling participants, participating in lab meetings. Bird lab: running experiments, coding behaviors and vocalizations from video and audio recordings, participating in lab meetings.

Required Skills and Coursework

No specific courses or skills are required.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Knowledge of R statistical software would be helpful but not required.

Personal Introduction

I am a historical sociologist who studies the production and circulation of numbers, with a focus on economic and political life. I am also interested in the regulation of markets and, increasingly, the politics of climate change.

Project Description

This project seeks to understand how the American insurance industry made sense of the risks and opportunities posed by climate change over the past 20 years. How did insurance companies come to assess climate risks - both to the properties they insured and their investment portfolios? And how did they assess their own responsibility for responding to the climate crisis?

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

1

Specific tasks associated with the project work

The main research tasks for the student will be 1) reading and analyzing surveys of how insurers are thinking about climate change that were collected by the California Insurance Commissioner, 2) reading and analyzing news stories and insurance industry publications tracking responses to climate change.

Required Skills and Coursework

No specific required skills or coursework are required.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

1. Coursework related to climate change (especially how climate change affects the economy or the insurance sector- only minimal natural scientific understanding of climate change is required). 2. Some familiarity with basic insurance concepts. 3. Previous social science or historical research experience (such as conducting and analyzing interviews, reading and coding newspaper articles, or work in archives). All of the above will be taught to participants without that background. Note that these historical sociology research tasks are closer to *history* than to *economics*. This project really calls for someone with a more history or historically-minded social science-like background (anthropology, parts of sociology, parts of political science, etc.).

Personal Introduction

I am an astronomer who studies the most energetic explosions in the universe in order to learn about the lives and deaths of stars: how a star’s properties determine its manner of death and its corpse. To do this, I use telescopes across the Earth and in space, as well as analytical modeling.

Project Description

The student will work on radio observations of cosmic explosions, using data from telescopes such as the Very Large Array in New Mexico. The student will help analyze and interpret the data to answer questions about stellar mass-loss and the formation of powerful jets.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

3

Specific tasks associated with the project work

The student would use a data reduction pipeline in CASA, a software package for radio astronomy observations. The student would analyze the data, and make plots using Python to summarize their results and measurements.

Required Skills and Coursework

Skills with programming (Python) required. Quantitative skills---mathematics at the level of calculus (required). Strong organizational skills (from previous jobs, research projects) because the dataset involved is large and somewhat complex.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Some experience with astronomy (knowledge of magnitude system, etc) would be helpful.

Personal Introduction

I am a cultural anthropologist with specialties in political, medical, feminist, and public-facing anthropology. I study contemporary questions of pressing public concern (militarization, borders, toxicity, social justice activism, solidarity, human rights activism and humanitarianism) working at the crossroads of the humanities and qualitative social sciences.

Project Description

Refugees Know Things is a public-facing research project that includes my individual research (manuscripts in progress include "Affective Encounters: Humanitarian Afterlives of War and Violence" and "Seeing like a Refugee: Global Apartheid Inside Out"), collaborative research (an edited book in progress based on the Displaced, Detained. Deterred Symposium, see refugeesknowthings.org) and a public-facing podcast (to be released soon). In summer 2025, I will be organizing and analyzing data; writing and editing an article; producing supplementary material for podcast episodes; and working on public-facing communication through arts, text, and sound.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

1

Specific tasks associated with the project work

The student would *not* be expected to work on all tasks associated with this project. The student would be offered a choice from the following tasks: 1) Assistance with organizing and analyzing data; 2) Assistance with Writing and editing an article; 3) Assistance with producing supplementary materials for podcast episodes; 4) Assistance with public-facing research communication through arts, text, and sound.

Required Skills and Coursework

No specific course work is necessary. Regarding Task 1) Assistance with organizing and analyzing data: Good organizational skills required; since data is primarily digital or needs to be digitized, comfort with digital and computer-based data organization is required. Ability to work independently and confidently in a supportive environment. Regarding Task 2) Assistance with Writing and editing an article: The student would need to learn (with my assistance and assistance from a Cornell librarian) how to conduct literature research using Cornell library resources. The student would be required to have interest and skills in writing. Ability to work independently and confidently in a supportive environment. Regarding Task 3) Assistance with producing supplementary material for podcast: research and writing skills. Ability to work independently and confidently in a supportive environment. Regarding Task 4) Assistance with public-facing research communication through arts, text, and sound: Creative, artistic background skill and interest to combine creativity and research for public education. Interest in data visualization. Ability to work independently and confidently in a supportive environment.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

n/a Topical coursework in critical studies of migration, refuge, borders, colonialism, racial justice, human rights would be beneficial but is not required.

Personal Introduction

My research group studies physics education research - the teaching and learning of physics. We particularly focus on instructional physics labs, studying what students are learning, how they are experiencing labs, and how we can improve instruction to improve students' learning and experiences.

Project Description

The successful student will help evaluate a new design for instructional physics labs that introduces students to experimental physics topics such as cosmic ray muon detection. The goals for the summer research include: iterating on preliminary instructional materials, evaluating the levels of inquiry in the instructional materials, analyzing data collected during the academic year, and preparing for upcoming data collection.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

2

Specific tasks associated with the project work

The student will work with postdocs and graduate students to design the instructional materials, use a rubric to evaluate the instructional materials, analyze data collected from previous semesters (including scoring assessments and surveys, using rubrics to evaluate students' written work, and/or performing statistical analysis on the data).

Required Skills and Coursework

Coursework: Some introductory physics instruction, preferably Phys 1110.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Other previous coursework and skills will inform the particular tasks the student will carry out. For example, if the student has taken statistics coursework, the project can involve more data analysis. If computer science coursework, the project can involve exploring natural language processing possibilities. If particle physics coursework, the project can focus on designing the instructional materials and the tabletop detector.

Personal Introduction

I am a scholar of religious studies with a focus on Japanese religions. My recent research concerns how religious communities can both foster and hinder ecological repair.

Project Description

This research, conducted in Central New York, allows students to have hands on experience in the basic skills of sustainable living and teach these skills to small groups in the region. The research explores how immediate embodied experience with ones' hands in the work of highly local ecological repair can help to build community and address social alienation. Students learn research methods, practical skills in both manual labor and teaching and the forms and nature of social alienation.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

3

Specific tasks associated with the project work

At the start of the internship, students will identify as a group the core research skills they will need to complete the summer project and learn how to do that research using relevant databases and secondary sources. They will learn how to write an IRB. During the course of the internship, students will learn the core skills of gardening, hugelkultur, lacto-fermentation, care of chickens and rudimentary beekeeping, and effective waste management for a home or small community. Students will then develop readily accessible curricular materials and prepare to teach a class offered in rural New York to diverse communities in July. The core skills needed can be summarized as 1) research skills; 2) practical skills (requiring manual labor); and 3) teaching, public speaking and presentation skills.

Required Skills and Coursework

The necessary skills for a successful summer intern are: an excellent sense of personal responsibility and the ability to be on time and keep one’s commitments; a passion for environmental repair and a concern with making strategies for healthy living accessible across diverse backgrounds and socio-economic difference;  an ability to interact with people from diverse backgrounds and political persuasions in rural Central New York; a genuine interest in practical domestic and horticultural skills; an ability to spend a considerable amount of time outside during the summer in all kind of weather barring dangerous storms; the physical ability to engage in and teach manual labor skills.  Applicants will be taught skills in the project but must come with an openness to low tech solutions to simple problems and to people from rural communities. Students must be available for two orientation sessions in late April and early May.We work with compost, bees, chickens and visit farms with animals and manure. This is not a desk job. Students with a serious fear of insects or dirt, or a need to be on their phones or computers throughout the day will not be successful in the project. We will be outside and unplugged, most of the summer work days.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Students who have taken "Religion and Ecological Sustainability" (ASIAN 2273) or "Zen Buddhism and Ecology" (ASIAN 3316) are especially welcome to apply. A strong background and interest in ecological repair and coursework to reflect that are encouraged.Many students who have worked in this internship in the past go on to develop honors, Rawlings, and Fulbright and Rhodes proposals out of this research.

Personal Introduction

I am an economist specialized in industrial organization and health economics. My recent research studies how relevant players (e.g., hospitals, doctors, insurers, consumers) interact in healthcare markets, and how to better design regulations to improve healthcare market efficiency.

Project Description

The research project aims to understand how brokers affect employers’ choice of health insurance. The project uses novel large datasets to develop a variety of analyses, for example, whether brokers steers employers to choose insurance plans that offer them higher commission rates, or whether brokers help employers choose products that better suits their employees’ needs and mitigates information gaps. Based on these analyses, the project will simulate policy regulations to promote both insurance access and choice quality.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

3

Specific tasks associated with the project work

The fellow will help the research team collect, clean, process, and analyze the data. The fellow will also be exposed to a variety of methods commonly used in economics research, and obtain experience employing them in practice.

Required Skills and Coursework

1. Experience in data analysis programs, for example, Python, Stata, R, or Matlab, to conduct data cleaning and statistical analysis 2. Strong quantitative background 3. Strong written and oral communication skills 4. Willingness and ability to work independently; passion for problem-solving. Kindly note that a background in economics is a plus, but not necessary. I welcome candidates with strong technical or policy backgrounds who are looking for more exposure to economics.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

1. Proficiency with Python to conduct data cleaning, visualization and statistical analysis. Strong candidates can demonstrate meaningful experience using NumPy, Pandas, Scipy and Matplotlib libraries 2. A long-term interest in pursuing research in economics.

Personal Introduction

I am the first in my extended family to attend college, and I obtained my PhD in Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology at Cornell University. I believe that science is for everyone.

Project Description

The Liu lab uses the free-living nematode C. elegans as a model system to identify new players and define their functions in a highly conserved signaling pathway, the BMP (bone morphogenetic protein) pathway (details can be found at https://blogs.cornell.edu/liuwormlab/research/). Our research findings will contribute to the general understanding of developmental processes and fundamental mechanisms involved in cell-cell communication. Students joining the lab will learn various molecular genetic techniques at the bench, develop problem solving and critical thinking skills, and work both independently and in a collaborative environment.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

2

Specific tasks associated with the project work

Perform various molecular genetic experiments, such as genetic crosses, PCR, gel electrophoresis, fluorescence microscopy, and others.

Required Skills and Coursework

No prior research experience is necessary. But being enthusiastic, curious, motivated, and organized is essential.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

BioG1500, BioMG1350.

Personal Introduction

I am a political theorist who studies social movements, religion and politics, and the history of political thought. My areas of specialization include American and African-American political thought, as well as South Asian political thought.

Project Description

My current research program examines the history of nonviolence as strategy of contention, a practice of world-making, and a language of political thought. I am seeking students interested on working on on two pillars of this project, (1) a book manuscript on the sermons and political thought of Martin Luther King, Jr, and (2) co-edited volume of the collected political writings of Mohandas K. Gandhi

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

1

Specific tasks associated with the project work

Duties would include assistance in locating historical sources through Cornell libraries, identifying relevant sources and assembling annotated bibliographies of recent scholarship on topics ranging from religion and ritual studies to histories of the US civil rights movement to Indian nationalism, coding and sorting materials from historical collections of Gandhi's writings, coding and researching primary sources from Gandhi, navigating translation and copyrights, assistance with Gujarati/Hindi to English translation; research in Cornell rare books collection

Required Skills and Coursework

Students should have an interest in either political theory or historical inquiry; likes to read; can clearly reconstruct the meaning and significance of theoretical or historical texts in their own words; some familiarity with 20th century American or Indian history; prior experience navigating primary material research through Cornell libraries

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Familiarity with historical material databases (esp newspapers, Congressional records, journals, etc), experience working with microfilm or other non-digital library resources, Hindi and Gujarati language skills a big plus;

Personal Introduction

My research interest is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of the interaction between an intracellular bacterial pathogen and its hosts. We use molecular, cellular, biochemical, and structural approaches to how bacterial toxins hijack host cellular pathways.

Project Description

We have several options tailored for undergraduate summer interns. 1) How bacterial toxins hijack host ubiquitination pathways. In this project, we will use biochemical and mass spec approaches to identify specific host targets and will use cell biology approaches to study the physiological functions of these toxins. 2) How bacterial toxins posttranslationally modify host proteins. In this project, we will elucidate the enzymatic reactions catalyzed by the toxins using biochemical and structural approaches.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

3

Specific tasks associated with the project work

DNA cloning, protein expression and purification, transfection, fluorescent confocal microscopy, etc.

Required Skills and Coursework

The candidate has taken intro biology courses.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

It is super if you have some wet lab experience but not necessary.

Personal Introduction

I'm a sociologist and I study social inequality in the areas of education, gender, and health. Social inequality is a multidimensional and dynamic process and my work measures and explains how this multifaceted process plays out in different contexts, changes over time, and differs across subgroups of people.

Project Description

My project examines the experience of sex discrimination in US higher education and university and federal responses to claims of sex discrimination at 4-year universities from 1994-2014. With a team of undergraduate research assistants, we have been coding allegations of sex discrimination at the federal level under Title IX and have constructed an original dataset to describe these experiences, how universities have responded, and how these experiences and responses differ by the race and gender of the complainant and the type of discrimination alleged. Project research assistants help develop code books for coding data and analyzing these data both qualitatively and quantitatively. Tasks include learning how to code text-based data, learning how to construct variables and summarize them, and coding open-ended questions. If RAs have quantitative skills using Stata or R, they can participate in cleaning, coding, and analyzing the quantitative data. I have participated in Nexus two prior years and my previous research assistants have used this research experience to secure excellent jobs after graduation and to attend graduate and law school.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

3

Specific tasks associated with the project work

Students will learn how to develop a code book, how to code qualitative data, and how to clean data. They will also learn how to conduct scientific literature reviews. If they have prior training in coding and quantitative analysis, RAs will set up, clean, and summarize data using statistical software such as Stata. RAs also participate in the data management process of a large and complex data creation project.

Required Skills and Coursework

Our project does not require any specific coursework. Our coders need a very high facility with English language processing is needing because the letters are text-based data. RAs need to understand nuance in written English text and be able to code it correctly. If an RA wants to participate in quantitative analysis, they need to have worked with coding data in a prior project and learn how to use Stata quickly and effectively. Our team works as a hive. Our work is collaborative and transparent to others and our RAs conduct team coding at all times. This means our RAs need to have excellent communication and teamwork skills and a desire to work in this style of environment. If a person really prefers working alone, our project is not going to be a good fit for them.

Personal Introduction

Douglas McKee teaches in the Department of Economics where he works with other faculty to incorporate active learning methods into courses. His research is primarily in economic education, where he tries to identify new methods of teaching that work well for a diverse population of economics students.

Project Description

Between 2018 and 2023, as part of Cornell’s Active Learning Initiative, the Cornell Economics Department incorporated active learning pedagogy into eight undergraduate courses. In each course, project personnel collected substantial student-level measures of learning, mindset, demographics, and study behavior before and after implementation. We will analyze these data to glean lessons about what worked well and what could be improved in the future.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

4

Specific tasks associated with the project work

Students will review theoretical and empirical literature related to the impact of active learning on educational outcomes in economics and in STEM disciplines more broadly. Students will organize data and set it up for analysis. Students will use statistical and econometric methods to analyze data. Students will write up their results and prepare presentations for a technical audience.

Required Skills and Coursework

Students must have taken at least two economics courses, and students should be clear thinkers and skilled communicators.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Courses in statistics and econometrics (including experience with Stata) would be very helpful.

Personal Introduction

I am a musicologist and performer who specializes in keyboards as interfaces for the creation and recreation of music. My interests range from 18th-century clavichords up to 21st-century synthesizers: instruments of both kinds (and many others besides) reside in the collection of the Cornell Center for Historical Keyboards (CCHK), of which I am the director.

Project Description

Under my direction, the student will conduct research into pianos in the CCHK's collection and will write up their findings for inclusion in the CCHK's database (and possibly website). The goal is to gather as much information as possible about each instrument for archival purposes in preparation for Forte|Piano, a major international festival that will take place at Cornell from August 5-10, 2025. The student will also be involved in the planning and logistical arrangements for the festival and will have the opportunity to interact with renowned keyboard performers, scholars, builders, and technicians. Although the festival itself falls outside the program's official timeframe, we would very much hope that the successful applicant(s) will be able to attend and participate.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

2

Specific tasks associated with the project work

The student will engage closely with each instrument in the CCHK's collection of pianos through: 1) The taking of physical measurements; 2) the analysis of materials; 3) investigation into the history of the instrument; 4) documentation of the instrument's sonic and musical characteristics; 5) inquiry into the instrument's social and cultural functions; 6) research into historically appropriate repertoire and the instrument's performance history; 7) planning for the Forte|Piano festival, involving instrument moves, technical and administrative support, and liaison with guests and attendees.

Required Skills and Coursework

The position does not necessarily require a specialized background in music or keyboard performance, although both would be beneficial. Most important are: 1) curiosity and openness to learning new research methods, from historical research to the taking of technical measurements; 2) organizational skills; 3) initiative and the willingness to explore new avenues for research as they open up; 4) the ability to work well in a team setting and to interact with musicians, scholars, and members of the public; 5) attention to detail.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Experience with running public-facing events; website and database maintenance; sound recording and production.

Personal Introduction

I am a physical chemist with a background spanning physics, materials science, nanoscience, Russian, and allegedly international espionage. My research group studies how molecular materials can harness light to do useful work, from driving chemical reactions to providing clean electric power.

Project Description

In this project, we aim to study how we can use light as an ingredient to change the behavior of molecular materials and other semiconductors. Specifically, we will look into how optical microcavities - extremely small boxes made of mirrors - can be used to 'rewire' these materials to change how photoexcited molecules transport energy over long distances or undergo unique light-driven chemical reactions. The goal over the summer will be to explore whether specific material properties (e.g., crystallinity, polarity) have an impact on the physics within the microcavities.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

1

Specific tasks associated with the project work

The student will gain experience in fabrication methods used in semiconductor devices (thermal evaporation & wet processing like spin-coating), the basic principles of optical spectroscopy, modelling of optical properties, analysis of spectroscopic data, and collaboration within a multidisciplinary team.

Required Skills and Coursework

Any chemistry or physics lab course that provides a foundation for safe laboratory practice. Attention to detail and curiosity are musts. Beyond sample fabrication, there are potential ways to contribute to the project from coding to data analysis to tinkering with the optical setups - we can tailor the project to meet the student's skillset.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Prior exposure to physical chemistry (especially quantum mechanics) and/or electromagnetism would help the student to understand the science of the project on a deeper level, but they are not essential.

Personal Introduction

I work on the psychological underpinning of philosophical thought, using a wide range of methods from philosophy and the social sciences.

Project Description

Emergentism was a prominent philosophical view in the early 20th century. According to this view, some complex entities (e.g., some molecules) have causal powers that cannot be predicted or explained by physics. The project is to summarize and categorize critiques of emergentism published between 1880 and 1945.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

2

Specific tasks associated with the project work

1. Learn key notions of emergence and principle of sufficient reason 2. Identify philosophy articles that contain criticisms of emergence (from 1880-1945), primarily using Google Scholar. 3. Record all items in a spreadsheet. 4. Read approximately 50 of these articles. 5. Categorize the critiques in these articles according to a rubric that we will develop together. 6. Include key quotations to support the categorization.

Required Skills and Coursework

Ability to read primary articles in analytic philosophy is required. Any student who has done well in philosophy classes (2000-level or above) that cover epistemology or metaphysics should be able to do this.

Personal Introduction

My group works in the field of experimental condensed matter physics. We study interesting phenomena in so-called quantum materials using a mix of magnetic imaging technique and electronic transport.

Project Description

Get involved in using scanning superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) microscopy to explore materials, devices and circuits. Our research activities include cryogenic measurements, imaging, building new instruments, nanofabrications, modeling and a lot more.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

3

Specific tasks associated with the project work

In close collaboration with a postdoc or graduate student, the student would contribute to ongoing projects in the lab. Depending on skills and interest, this could be helping with measurements, modeling of an experiment, development of new sensors or design and construction of new and improved aspects of our scanning probe microscopse.

Required Skills and Coursework

A mindset for quantitative and detailed analysis of a problem and data is necessary. Some experience in programming would be valuable but not strictly necessary. Completion and mastery of basic physics (e.g. PHYS 1112 and 2213) and maths classes is recommended.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Being comfortable with electronic circuits is very helpful.

Personal Introduction

I am an interdisciplinary artist who has been teaching (in the areas of Media Studies, Creative Writing, and African-American Studies) and collaborating with artist Keith Obadike for the last 27 years. We have exhibited and performed at The New Museum, The Studio Museum in Harlem, The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, and The Museum of Modern Art and have created books, albums, works for the stage and many large-scale public sound artworks.

Project Description

RingShout is a radio transmitting cube satellite. This satellite will orbit the earth and transmit a radio broadcast, featuring original music, and audio interviews. The project takes its name from a circular folk dance found in the African Diaspora. Undergraduate students will work with us to help program the cube satellite, along with professional programmers on our team.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

2

Specific tasks associated with the project work

Students will have tasks related to coding (Python) and soldering.

Required Skills and Coursework

Students will need skills in collaboration and familiarity with the arts.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

It would be helpful if the student has familiarity Python and basic electronics and has taken CS 1110, but it is not required.

Personal Introduction

My laboratory is interested in understanding the brain processes that regulate learning and memory. We use elsctrophysiology in freely moving rodents exploring a natural environment.

Project Description

Implanting electrodes in the brain of mice to later record and monitor their behavior and natural sleep in a naturalistic (outdoor) environment.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

4

Specific tasks associated with the project work

Monitor animal’s behavior Prepare experimental areas Perform surgeries

Required Skills and Coursework

Neurobiology

Personal Introduction

Our lab is interested in understanding social behavior by focusing on interactions between the social and abiotic environment with brain and behavior. Much of our work is concentrated on examining how parental care and other early-life social experiences have the potential to shape reproductive decision-making (i.e., alternative mating tactics within a socially monogamous mating system), and how animal cognition shapes the assessment of the immediate social context to bias animals into making those reproductive decisions.

Project Description

We should have at least 2 projects. One project will focus on understanding how ambient temperature during development impacts caregiving and thermoregulatory behaviors as adolescents? This project is based on the idea that animals must balance coping with the physiological pressures from the environment with the energy reserves that make caregiving possible. The second project will examine the neural mechanisms that govern or permit 'cheating' (i.e. extra-pair matings). Here we are manipulating an area of the brain known to facilitate general prosocial behavior, while not affecting selective preferences for mating partners to ask if prosocial behavior creates opportunities for extra-pair mating.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

2

Specific tasks associated with the project work

Depending on the project, daily work might include, examining videos to score animal behavior, sectioning brains, quantifying 'tagged' neurons in brain sections, potentially working directly with animals to perform surgeries, or behavioral tests. Students will also shadow lab members doing other tasks that relate to these and other similar projects. Students may also learn to use statistical programs and analyze data, or work with data sets to visualize or track animal moments. Reading about behavior and neuroscience in the scientific literature will also be expected.

Required Skills and Coursework

Basic computer literacy, like skills with Excel and PowerPoint will be needed.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Communication skills (specifically communicating needs, asking questions when one does not understand, etc.), and observation skills (paying attention to the world around you) are desired. Introductory coursework in biology, animal behavior, or neurobiology will be helpful, but is not required.

Personal Introduction

George Orlov is a part of the Department of Economics, teaching core curriculum courses and working with other faculty to incorporate active learning methods into economics courses. His research is primarily in applied microeconomics and economic education, focused on measuring the effect that new teaching methods have on student learning and the role that peers play in the learning process.

Project Description

Because most research on student learning is based on assessments of student knowledge during or at the end of an academic term, we know very little about what students retain after a course is over or what determines how much they retain. In this project we have followed up with students in several courses to ask about their experiences in the years after the end of the course and measure their course knowledge using the same assessments they took at the end of the course. We will analyze these data to learn how course modality (in-person vs online) and pedagogy (traditional lecture vs. active learning methods) affect retention of knowledge.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

3

Specific tasks associated with the project work

1. Students will review theoretical and empirical literature related to the impact of online teaching and active learning on long-term educational outcomes in economics and in STEM disciplines more broadly. 2. Students will organize data and set it up for analysis. 3. Students will use statistical and econometric methods to analyze data. 4. Students will write up their results and prepare presentations for a technical audience.

Required Skills and Coursework

Students must have taken at least two economics courses, and students should be clear thinkers and skilled communicators.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Courses in statistics and econometrics (including experience with Stata) would be very helpful.

Personal Introduction

I study why different countries develop different social policies (which include areas such as health care, employment protection, and disability). My research emphasizes the political and economic explanations for these differences, focusing empirically on the affluent democracies of the United States and Western Europe.

Project Description

The project has two streams. The first stream examines how those who are employed in the social service sector (health, education, and care-giving) shape the design of social policies. The second stream examines the role of racial and ethnic diversity in shaping social welfare systems.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

2

Specific tasks associated with the project work

The student will help to develop two cross-national data sets: one on the working conditions of social service employees and the other on historical changes to national immigration systems and racial demography. Tasks will include co-identifying relevant sources, data entry, and co-authoring the codebooks.

Required Skills and Coursework

Basic proficiency in Microsoft Excel and strong attention to detail is required.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Familiarity with data entry and primary source historical research is helpful, but not required.

Personal Introduction

I am a former Cornell undergraduate. Our goal is to understand how all nuclear proteins work together to regulate genomes, and apply this knowledge towards better diagnosis and management of human diseases. We use the well-known budding yeast as both a technological and conceptual model.

Project Description

The project involves use of CRISPR/Cas9 to edit the yeast genome such that specific transcription regulators may be rapidly eliminated and their effects on gene expression monitored. Students will learn to design gRNA, use CRISPR, and learn how we map where along the genome regulatory proteins bind.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

3

Specific tasks associated with the project work

Design gRNA oligos and "repair" oligos. Prepare Cas9 plasmids, and PCR "repair" DNA. Transform yeast, screen for successful gene-edited projects. Perform ChIP-seq/exo assays if time permits.

Required Skills and Coursework

Familiarity with a chemistry or biochemistry lab environment. Skilled at pipetting, following experimental protocols, and sterile technique. Keeping an accurate and timely lab notebook. Positive inclusive attitude.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Gel electrophoresis, PCR.

Personal Introduction

I am an econometrician. I use statistical decision theory and large sample approximations to develop credible, easy-to-implement solutions for evidence-based policymaking and causal inference in economics and other social sciences.

Project Description

We are going to design and test the performance of a new and more robust approach to estimating causal effect under unconfoundedness when observed data contain complicated high dimensional covariates. The final product would be a user-friendly software package easily implementable by applied researchers. Next, we are going to apply machine learning methods for the discovery of heterogeneous causal effects and study how information from heterogeneous treatment effect can be better utilized for policymaking

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

3

Specific tasks associated with the project work

1. Coding of clearly defined projects in R, Python, or similar, 2. Replication (of extant papers) and new or adapted empirical application, 3. Exploring the scientific literature on specific questions and their empirical application, 4. Proofreading and the like.

Required Skills and Coursework

Good experience in coding with transparency in R or Python. Coursework in computer science, statistics and economics is desirable.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Proficiency in coding with R or Python; Understanding of statistical notions like cross validation; Coursework in econometrics and causal inference (Econ 4140, Econ 3140, INFO 3900)

Personal Introduction

Rachel Beatty Riedl is a political scientist in the Government Department, Brooks School of Public Policy, and director of the Center on Global Democracy. Her research interests include institutional development in new democracies, local governance and decentralization policy, authoritarian regime legacies, and religion and politics, with a regional focus in Africa.

Project Description

In cases of democratic backsliding, how do we understand when and why opposition coalitions form and/or succeed around pro-democracy mobilization? The focus will be on how backsliding occurs from actors who are internal to the democratic process itself, and use such institutions and organizations to pursue undue advantage and power accumulation to limit future competition.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

1

Specific tasks associated with the project work

This project will include a literature review, particularly focused on political parties and coalitions and how they function in relation to other institutions of horizontal and vertical accountability (legislatures, courts, electoral systems, watchdog agencies, etc). The project will then undertake original research on specific cases of successful formation and or election of pro-democracy opposition coalitions. The student will learn research design and analysis techniques, coding procedures, literature review summaries, and potentially text analysis.

Required Skills and Coursework

Required Skills and Coursework: Creativity and attention to detail are essential, a statistical background or empirical knowledge of a particular set of cases is not; the student will learn research analysis practices and how to work with qualitative and text data during the course of the project.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Recommended: Comparative Politics or Democracy and Autocracy

Personal Introduction

I am a political scientist in the Department of Government, a Principal Investigator of the Russian Election Study (RES), and a former editor at the Washington Post’s Monkey Cage blog. I study comparative political behavior, with a focus on regime preferences and voter behavior in nondemocratic systems, development and democratization, the politics of the former Soviet Union, and survey methodology.

Project Description

In collaboration with the Russian Election Studies team, this project continues the longest running election study in an autocratic country and the only probability-based nationally representative panel survey in Russia tracking public opinion before and after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. We seek to understand the dynamics and depth of popular support for the war in Ukraine, the apparent rally in approval of Vladimir Putin’s regime, and the reliability of surveys in the wartime context.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

2

Specific tasks associated with the project work

Tasks may include some/all of the following depending on the student’s skills and interests: 1) working collaboratively on presentations of research findings for the media/policymakers/the public, 2) data cleaning, data visualization, and statistical analysis of public opinion survey data, 3) conducting library searches for information related to the research, 4) assisting in preparing written research products for academic publication or research-informed analysis for the media/public.

Required Skills and Coursework

This project is best suited for students with strong programming/computer science background and an interest in applying their skills to policy-relevant research on politics.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Familiarity with R, Stata or Python is essential (though experience working with survey data is not). Interest in Russian politics and related coursework as well as Russian language skills are helpful but not required.

Personal Introduction

My research and publications (translations, commentaries, articles and monographs) center on the literature of Ancient Athens, during the age which saw the beginnings of tragedy, comedy, history, philosophy, and rhetoric. My current research specialties are Thucydides, the historian of the War between Athens and Sparta, and Aristophanes, writer of Athenian political comedy.

Project Description

The Lexeis project (https://lexeis.org) rescues digitally the most valuable 19th century lexica of classical Greek authors, placing them online for literary and linguistic research, updated with links to the text, translations into English, classification into word–families and semantic groupings, and current bibliography. We have worked so far on Thucydides, Plato and (currently) Aristophanes, and our next project will be on Aristotle.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

3

Specific tasks associated with the project work

–training OCR models using Transkribus AI, editing the transcripts, tagging with XML –assign key words to word–families and semantic categories. –translate definitions into English. –(For full-time Nexus students) Completion of a research project: past projects have included studies of one or more significant vocabulary groups (defined by word-family and semantic category) in Greek philosophy (for Plato or Aristotle), or politics (for Thucydides or Aristophanes) suitable for submission to a research conference; design and implementation of a new search or analysis feature in our online dictionary.

Required Skills and Coursework

The different tasks in this project can take advantage of a variety of coursework, which will be enhanced on the job: – Greek and Latin (Greek 2101, Latin 2000-level or higher) We specialize in the vocabulary of philosophy and politics, and linguistic/literary analysis. – German (German Studies 2000-level or higher) (Same specialization as for Greek). We offer a crash intro using the “German Quickly” textbook to beginners. – Python (CS 1133; even those without coding experience will receive an overview of Python methods to enable them to load and execute scripts and work with the results), web design (CS1300 and 2300)

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Most important is an interest in our goals; past student workers have studied Greek literature and history, Linguistics, Information Science, History of the humanities. Being organized and able to work with others is essential, as is openness to learning new computer tools and enhancing language knowledge.

Personal Introduction

Shirley Samuels is Chair of Literatures in English. She is currently finishing a book titled "Haunted by the Civil War," on witnessing, testimony, and culture in the United States.

Project Description

I am starting a new book project, “Women and the Culture of Democracy: Art and Politics in the 19th-Century United States.” Drawing on theoretical constructions of gender, race, and history, the book considers the historical conditions for women writers and artists as they produce works under conditions of necessity, pleasure, politics, and polemical insistence. I would encourage the student to have an interest in 19th century American art, literature, and history and would ask them to locate new materials on these topics as well as to explore the work of women artists and writers.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

2

Specific tasks associated with the project work

They would locate material in the rare book room (Kroch library) that could include photographs, pamphlets, and cultural artifacts about nineteenth-century women. They would research critics and historians who talk about 19th century American identity and art. They would investigate how to ask for permission to reproduce images in a book.

Required Skills and Coursework

This project would be best suited for a student who has already taken courses in some combination of FGSS, History, Government, History of Art, American Studies, and Literatures in English. That means that they would have been introduced to the idea of doing research papers in an interdisciplinary context.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

It would definitely help if the student was interested in reading poetry as well as fiction, though that's not a requirement.

Personal Introduction

Personal Introduction For 55 years,I have been privileged to teach and work with students and to have won teaching recognition here and beyond. As to research, I work on many topics and have written 18 books and half of two others, edited many others, and contributed many articles and chapters; my books' subjects include James Joyce's Ulysses, Wallace Stevens, the NY Times, the relationship between Modern Art and Modern Literature, the European Novel (2 volumes), NYC culture between the world wars, literary theory with a focus on narrative, the changes in universities and literary study, undergraduate education, Conrad, Disraeli, Woolf and more. See, please, my web page: Web Page: http://courses.cit.cornell.edu/drs6

Project Description

Project Description I have 3 projects: 1)a monograph entitled the Power of Narrative: The Story in Fiction and Film of French Complicity in the Holocaust. 2)a wide-ranging monograph on the Nature of Narrative--my lifetime subject-- with examples from literature (The Divine Comedy, George Eliot's novels, etc.) film, TV series with major historical impact (A French Village, Babylon Berlin, The War is Over) and major painting. 3)Continuing my work on Ekphrasis--art/lit connections which is the subject of my very well-reviewed book Reconfiguring Modernism and other chapters and articles.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

2

Specific tasks associated with the project work

editorial work, research tasks, close reading of primary and secondary material, including video series like A French Village and Babylon Berlin,

Required Skills and Coursework

Enthusiasm, diligence, curiosity, joy in learning, initiative, commitment to excellence, maturity, and writing skill

Helpful Skills and Coursework

For the Holocaust project, some historical awareness. For the narrative project, some literary or film background. For the art/lit project, some background in art history but not essential. But the most important is what I listed in required skils .

Personal Introduction

I work on the history of science and medicine. I'm currently finishing a book on race, statistics, and medicine in the 19th Century British Empire.

Project Description

The project would be part of a global history of the introduction of and responses to inoculation and or vaccination. Students would develop a data base of primary and secondary sources about a region/country of their choosing and write a short essay discussing their findings.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

1

Specific tasks associated with the project work

Finding, exploring, and reading (mostly online) historical texts on inoculation/vaccination. Locating and reading secondary materials on the topic.

Required Skills and Coursework

Ideally, a course in the history of medicine or science, but I'm happy to bring an interested student up to speed.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

History of medicine (BSOC/HIST/STS 2071

Personal Introduction

I am a professor of biology and my research is on the study of behavioral evolution. My lab members and I study the evolution of reproductive behavior and how this evolution can cause the origin of new species.

Project Description

Our laboratory studies natural populations of Hawaiian crickets brought into the laboratory for observational study and experiments. The student will be engaged in measuring variation in reproductive behaviors of males and females used in courtship communication. Potential questions to be addressed include documenting the mating preference behaviors of males and females and the molecular or genetic control of these preferences.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

3

Specific tasks associated with the project work

Daily tasks can range from observational data collection in specific mating experiments, to chemical work to extract signaling molecules from the crickets, to DNA or RNA extractions to test hypotheses about the molecular variation underlying animal behavior.

Required Skills and Coursework

Classification level for the student is flexible depending on their own prior experience. Although we can provide appropriate training no matter the student's background, it would help to have taken a basic laboratory course such as Bio 1500 or equivalent in high school.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Academic exposure to evolutionary biology would be helpful to the student. Introductory coursework in an evolutionary biology class such as BioEE 1780 or BioNB 2210 would be helpful orientation to our research. However these classes are not required.

Personal Introduction

My research focuses on biology education at the undergraduate level. Broadly, my group studies how undergraduate students learn and make connections, and how instructors can help students during this critical time.

Project Description

We are looking for undergraduate researchers to join an exciting opportunity that will help shape the future of undergraduate biology education. Potential research projects may include synthesizing data from peer-reviewed biology education resources, and studying students’ connections and sense of community in field courses. This research may involve designing surveys/interview questions, collecting and analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data, and/or extracting information from educational resources.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

2

Specific tasks associated with the project work

Specific tasks may include doing quantitative and qualitative data analysis, extracting information from open educational resources, writing surveys, reading and summarizing literature, and writing up findings.

Required Skills and Coursework

The most important skills for this project include an interest in participating in an education research community, teamwork skills, attention to detail, statistical analysis, and data organization.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Because this work involves human subjects, all members of the lab take a brief online course on ethical and responsible conduct related to human subjects research before they are permitted to work with data. A familiarity and interest in teaching and learning, basic statistics, R/python coding, and/or qualitative analysis is helpful.

Personal Introduction

The Sparks lab uses stable isotopes and other techniques to study environmental ecology, evolution and climate change. As a Nexus Scholar in the lab you will have the opportunity to potentially work in the field, in the Cornell Museum of Vertebrates (CUMV) and the Cornell Isotope Lab (COIL).

Project Description

We will use material from the Cornell collections and elsewhere to study how organisms have changed and adapted to environmental changes. We will use a combination of stable isotope and morphometric measurements to ask questions like: Do lichens track air quality in New York State over the past 100 years? Where do hybrid birds reproduce? How have fish populations responded to changing environmental conditions over the past 100 years?

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

2

Specific tasks associated with the project work

Students will process samples and prepare them for isotopic measurements, learn and participate the measurement using a mass spectrometer, analyze data using R and other software, and gain skills in paper writing and oral presentation.

Required Skills and Coursework

We can train any student to complete all needed tasks. Therefore the only required skill is genuine interest in environmental ecology and a great attitude. We are willing to take on any student who is motivated and interested. So, don't worry if you don't feel like you have adequate prior research experience.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Having a rudimentary understanding of the R computer analysis package would be helpful, but not necessary.

Personal Introduction

I am a professor in the Near Eastern Studies Department, where I write and teach about issues of identity and inter-communal exchange in Middle Eastern literature and film. This project grows out of research I conducted on 1930s and 40s Egyptian cinema for my book Togo Mizrahi and the Making of Egyptian Cinema (2020)

Project Description

In 1937, Egyptian actor Amina Muhammad wrote, directed, and starred in the film Tita Wong. The title character, a woman of mixed Egyptian and Chinese parentage, drew upon the screen persona of Chinese American actor Anna May Wong. This research on the films and careers of Muhammad and Wong is part of a larger project that examines transnational constructions of race and gender as reflected in 1930s Egyptian cinema. Goal: to submit a proposal to jointly present our research at the Society for Cinema and Media Studies conference in April 2026. Keywords: Media Analysis; Cinema History; Middle East Studies; Race; Gender; Egypt; United States

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

3

Specific tasks associated with the project work

Research on actor Amina Muhammad and the film Tita Wong includes sifting through popular Arabic magazines from the 1930s, scanning relevant articles, and cataloging them in Zotero. The nexus scholar will curate a bibliography of period newspapers and contemporary scholarship about actor Anna May Wong. Research may also involve working with resources held at the New York State Archive. I also seek assistance in consolidating and cataloging my archive of digital film files.

Required Skills and Coursework

Intermediate- or advanced- reading knowledge of Arabic. I am willing to interview candidates who have basic Arabic reading skills but wish to stretch themselves through this research.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

An interest in comparative literature, history, film studies, and/or Middle East studies. Training in using Zotero and accessing materials will be provided.

Personal Introduction

My research focuses on understanding the principles governing cellular heterogeneity, crosstalk, and evolution in the context of human tissues and disease. Grounded in computational systems biology, I run an interdisciplinary research program operating at the nexus of high-throughput data measurements, development and application of computational methods, and experimental design, with key collaborations for clinical samples, and mechanistic validations in vivo and in situ.

Project Description

Late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD) affects 1 in 9 adults over the age of 65, and with increased human longevity, poses significant national and global public health burden. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) till date have identified multiple genetic variants associated with LOAD, however, collecting brain biopsy data from living human patients is invasive and not standard practice. Hence, most functional studies have been conducted in mouse models of disease. Whether the findings from mouse models translate to humans remain to be elucidated. To understand the translational gap, we will will leverage high-throughput datasets including transcriptomics and epigenetics, functional data from perturbation studies in animal models to perform comparative analysis, and infer robust disease networks from multimodal datasets.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

3

Specific tasks associated with the project work

Students will learn how to work with public and large multiomic datasets, bioinformatic analysis, and data science techniques. Additionally, they will participate in journal, clubs, learn how to read scientific papers and synthesize information and also communicate signs. Finally, they will learn skills of navigating a professional research environment and collaboration.

Required Skills and Coursework

Proficiency in coding in either R or Python, basic statistics and understanding of concepts like genes and mRNA.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Stats and coding: unix, basics of data analysis, summary statistics Biology: single-cell transcriptomics, single-cell chromatin accessibility, next-generation sequencing Relevant Cornell courses: BIOCB 2010 Introduction to Computational Biology

Personal Introduction

My background is in systems neuroscience, and I'm broadly interested in social behavior and communication. My lab uses mice to study the neural circuits that regulate vocal communication, as how mouse vocalizations influence social success and fitness.

Project Description

Nexus Scholars can work on various ongoing projects in the lab, including: (1) the effects of social isolation on the brain and on social behavior, (2) the neural circuits that allow mice to vocalize appropriately according to social context, and (3) the role of mouse vocalizations in mate choice and mating success. We are an inclusive and collaborative group, and we love working with undergraduates!

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

2

Specific tasks associated with the project work

Students will learn how to acquire and analyze mouse behavioral data, as well as how to process brain tissue sections and image them on a confocal microscope to visualize recently active neurons, virally-labeled neurons, etc.

Required Skills and Coursework

No specific skills are required- we will teach students what they need to know.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Introductory coursework in biology, animal behavior, and/or neuroscience is helpful but not required.

Personal Introduction

I am a computational geneticist interested in developing more accurate and scalable computational methods that utilize massive genomic datasets to gain new insights into fundamental evolutionary processes.

Project Description

There are potentially three directions, depending on students' interest: 1) method development work related to data structures such as genotype representation graphs and ancestral recombination graphs, 2) data analyses work related to SARS-CoV-2 or long term experimental evolution data, 3) simulation work related to human Neanderthal admixture.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

1

Specific tasks associated with the project work

read relevant literature, code for the project, perform analyses on simulated or real genetic data, and attend group meetings.

Required Skills and Coursework

Successful candidates in our lab demonstrate a genuine enthusiasm for population genetics, human genetics, and evolutionary genomics. They enjoy programming and are not afraid of algebra, probability, and algorithmism.

Personal Introduction

My lab and I use genetic, molecular, and evolutionary methods to understand how eggs begin to develop once fertilized and (separately) how male proteins that accompany sperm trigger changes in females. Most of our experiments are done with fruit flies, but the results are relevant to fertility in all animals, including people, because the processes we study (and many of the molecules) are conserved.

Project Description

We have several project options, that can be tailored to our Nexus Scholar's interests and background. Examples are: using CRISPR to construct a mutation in fruitfly genes that are important in their reproduction, using fluorescence or confocal microscopy to determine how such a mutation affects egg and embryo development, testing mutations in male fruitfly proteins for their effects on sperm or on reproduction, generating fruitfly (or mosquito) proteins to study their molecular function and using protein-structure prediction programs to determine potential interactions among those proteins, and analyzing the evolutionary changes in the sequences of some of these genes. We can offer projects that give students experience with genetics, with molecular biology, or with evolutionary analyses - and a project on our egg/embryo studies or in our male-protein studies.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

2

Specific tasks associated with the project work

It depends on the project, but tasks could include performing fruit fly crosses and testing reproductive phenotypes of mutant flies, examining fly eggs or fly-tissues by microscopy, carrying out DNA manipulations to generate plasmids for CRISPR, using molecular biology methods and/or AlphaFold to examine fly proteins, and doing sequence analysis using online tools. Students would also read some relevant scientific papers, attend lab meetings (and present at one at the end of the summer), and interact with others in the lab.

Required Skills and Coursework

Most important: enthusiasm about the science, curiosity, and dedication. Being organized and able to work with others are also essential. If a student has laboratory experience beyond BioG 1500, or with fruit flies (Drosophila), that'd be great but it is not necessary. We can teach them the techniques that they need.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Some biology background is necessary. At minimum, BioMG1350 and BioMG1500 (and BioEE 1780, for students who want an evolutionary biology project). Further biology coursework, such as genetics or molecular biology, would be great (but that would only be expected for students in their latter years at Cornell).

Personal Introduction

I am a researcher focused on developing computational methods to solve inverse problems in various applications. My work combines applied mathematics, optimal transport, and computational science expertise to address real-world challenges. I am an applied mathematician working on inverse problems,

Project Description

The project aims to optimize fusion reactor designs by improving plasma confinement and reactor shape. Using adjoint Monte Carlo methods, we will develop novel techniques for modeling and solving high-dimensional kinetic equations crucial for fusion energy, focusing on plasma stability and confinement within reactors. Working on this project offers the student hands-on training with advanced computational techniques, equipping them with skills that are highly relevant for careers in scientific research, technology, and environmental solutions.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

4

Specific tasks associated with the project work

The student will engage in computational simulations, analyze data, and work on code implementation for adjoint Monte Carlo methods. Daily tasks will include testing algorithmic improvements, validating simulation outputs, and documenting findings to refine plasma behavior models under different design parameters.

Required Skills and Coursework

Students should be proficient in programming (e.g., Python, MATLAB) and have a solid foundation in calculus and differential equations. Basic knowledge of physics, particularly in mechanics or electromagnetism, will be beneficial but not required.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

Experience with numerical methods, statistical physics, or particle simulation software would be advantageous. Coursework in computational physics and linear algebra could also help students succeed in the project.

Personal Introduction

Using field- and lab-work, I compare trait morphology and function among species to better understand how biodiversity develops, how biodiversity evolves, and why it matters. I am broadly interested in macroevolutionary patterns, evolutionary development (evo-devo), trait loss, skeletons, evolutionary constraint, hearing, and sensory ecology.

Project Description

Frogs and toads are able to breathe through their skin but at the cost of high levels of water loss. Yet, frogs and toads are able to live all over the world, including dry habitats. We aim to understand how frog skin has evolved and varies among species, testing fundamental questions about skin adaptation and revealing previously unappreciated morphological diversity.

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

2

Specific tasks associated with the project work

The student will work to investigate the properties of frog skin using comparative histology to visualize and quantify tissue differences among species.

Required Skills and Coursework

No required skills or coursework.

Helpful Skills and Coursework

An interest in evolution and microscopy.

Personal Introduction

I'm interested in the relational mind, especially how we mentally represent other people. I use a variety of methods to understand the cognitive architecture of other representations and how they affect how we perceive, interpret, and respond in our daily lives.

Project Description

Work with involve pursuing research aims funded by NSF. The studies examine the phenomenon of implicit bivalence. Common objects are associated in memory with good or bad, but not both. But significant others (a partner, parent, close friend) are associated in memory with good AND bad. Why do significant others trigger implicit bivalence? Does implicit bivalence help us make sense of people's complex behaviors? Do other aspects of the environment, such as tempting foods, trigger implicit bivalence?

Summer Student Research Assistant Level

3

Specific tasks associated with the project work

Students will be involved in all aspects of conducting research. They will help with the design, the development and coding of materials, the logistics with getting IRB approved and subject recruitment, running the study, collecting and analyzing data, and presenting data at regional or national conferences.

Required Skills and Coursework

Majoring or intending to major in Psychology. Course work in psychology. Interest in pursuing an honors project and/or graduate school in psychology. Curious about learning how to code and experimental design.