Student research opportunities

New opportunities for undergraduate research at SFIS

SFIS launched an Undergraduate Research Fellows program in Fall 2017, designed to give undergraduate students a chance to engage in research projects on science & society topics, working closely with SFIS faculty mentors.
Engaging in research projects as an undergraduate is a great way to broaden your ASU experience. You’ll get the chance to be part of a research team, develop critical skills in how to gather reliable data, how to analyze this information and how to present your findings to others in a clear and compelling way. These skills can prove very useful in the workplace. Research experience can also help you decide whether you’re interested in graduate school and if you are, it can significantly increase your chances of getting accepted.

Students participating in the SFIS undergraduate research program can apply to receive a stipend ($1200 per semester) or to receive research credit (2 credits per semester). You will be expected to meet the following expectations:

Spend 5-7 hours per week as a Research Fellow, including attending a weekly meeting with your faculty mentor
Complete a series of masterclasses on research and professional development.
Present your research at an end-of-semester symposium (this is a hybrid event with Zoom options for ASU Online students)

Fall research projects will ideally start the week of September 7. If you would like to apply for a research position, please complete the online application.

This website is updated each Fall and Spring Semester with new projects that can be applied for. Once the application deadline has passed, there are no research opportunities available through this program until the next Fall or Spring semester.

For questions, please contact program coordinator Paulina Johnson ([email protected]).

Faculty advisor	Project Title	Available for stipend	Available for credit	Pre-requisites required	Available for ASU Online
Clark Miller, Senior Global Futures Scientist, Global Futures Scientists and Scholars Jorge Guerrero Morales, Community Energy Fellow, City of Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa Andy Escobar, Energy Equity Coordinator, City of Tempe	Energy Data and Storytelling	No	Yes	Knowledge of statistical analysis is preferred but not required.	No
Darlene Cavalier, Professor of Practice, School for the Future of Innovation in Society	SciStarter Citizen Science Undergraduate Research Fellow	Yes	No	None	No
Clark Miller, Senior Global Futures Scientist, Global Futures Scientists and Scholars Jorge Guerrero Morales, Community Energy Fellow, City of Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa Andy Escobar, Energy Equity Coordinator, City of Tempe	Urban Sustainability Communications	No	Yes	None	No
Emma Frow, Associate Professor, School for the Future of Innovation in Society	The Rise of Biofoundries in the U.S.	Yes	No	Applicants should have taken one or more university-lev el courses in molecular biology or related fields, and be willing to work systematically through policy and scientific jargon.	Yes
Emma Frow, Associate Professor, School for the Future of Innovation in Society	NoGall: The world’s first genetically engineered microbe approved for environmental release	Yes	No	Applicants should have taken one or more university-lev el courses in molecular biology or related fields, and be willing to work systematically through policy and scientific jargon.	Yes

Full project descriptions

1. Energy Data and Storytelling

Faculty advisors

Clark Miller (overall oversight and mentor), Senior Global Futures Scientist, Global Futures Scientists and Scholars

Additional advisors

Andy Escobar, City of Tempe (project partner lead, day-to-day mentor)

Jorge Morales Guerrero, City of Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa (project partner, secondary mentor)

Research project overview

The ASU Center for Energy and Society and the Energy Team within Tempe’s Sustainability & Resilience Division seek a data-focused fellow to support the assessment of municipal solar onsite performance, electric vehicle (EV) emissions calculations, and energy consumption tracking. This opportunity is ideal for someone interested in developing experience in storytelling informed by energy data science and contributing to sustainability planning and outcomes. Previous experience with statistical analysis software, such as R, is preferred but not required. The fellow will play a key role in helping the City share accurate information about solar plant performance during weather events, solar energy cost savings, emissions avoided through EV adoption, and overall data base management. The fellow research will involve solar generation data analysis, electric vehicle emissions analysis, and energy consumption database Management.

Any pre-requisites needed? Knowledge of statistical analysis is preferred but not required.

Research available for stipend? ($1,200/semester): No

Research available for course credit? (2 credits/semester): Yes

Research opportunity available to ASU Online students? No

2. SciStarter Citizen Science Undergraduate Research Fellow

Faculty advisors

Darlene Cavalier, Professor of Practice, School for the Future of Innovation in Society

Research project overview

Citizen science enables people from all walks of life to advance scientific research. Work with the ASU/SciStarter project team (www.scistarter.org) to learn about and promote citizen science in the local community and, more broadly, through social media channels. Research work will include conducting a landscape analysis of units/departments at ASU which utilize citizen science in their ongoing research projects. Other tasks will involve operational work to support the project’s Library Network and volunteer Ambassador programs. Join weekly calls to interface with the project team.

Any pre-requisites needed? None

Research available for stipend? ($1,200/semester): Yes

Research available for course credit? (2 credits/semester): No

Research opportunity available to ASU Online students? No

3. Urban Sustainability Communications

Faculty advisors

Clark Miller (overall oversight and mentor), Senior Global Futures Scientist, Global
Futures Scientists and Scholars

Additional advisors

Andy Escobar, City of Tempe (project partner lead, day-to-day mentor)

Jorge Morales Guerrero, City of Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa (project partner, secondary
mentor)

Research project overview

The Center for Energy & Society and the City of Tempe Sustainability Office are seeking
a fellow to help raise awareness of the City’s sustainability work through applied
research, leading to engaging communications. The fellow will research best practices,
analyze social media engagement, and develop recommendations to improve how the
City communicates its sustainability work to the community. Based on this research, the
fellow will create social media graphics, written content, and occasional video content
highlighting programs related to food systems, pollinator habitats, tree planting,
resilience, community gardens, water harvesting, energy, and sustainable
transportation. The fellow will be housed within the Sustainability & Resilience Office but
may have opportunities to collaborate with other City departments to develop content.

Any pre-requisites needed? None

Research available for stipend? ($1,200/semester): No

Research available for course credit? (2 credits/semester): Yes

Research opportunity available to ASU Online students? No

4. The Rise of Biofoundries in the U.S.

Faculty advisors

Emma Frow, Associate Professor, School for the Future of Innovation in Society

Research project overview

Biofoundries are a type of facility for conducting high-throughput genetic engineering
that first started being built in in the early 2010s. In this project you will help to
reconstruct the story around the funding and development of these facilities in the US.
This will involve identifying key policy documents, funding initiatives, and other materials relating to the establishment of public and private biofoundries in the US. Your role will involve gathering and analyzing these materials, and producing a short written overview and visual timeline summarizing your findings. This work will contribute to a comparative project currently underway within the NSF-funded Global Center for Biofoundry Applications, which involves 5 partner countries (Finland, Japan, South Korea, the UK and US).

Any pre-requisites needed? Applicants should have taken one or more
university-level courses in molecular biology or related fields, and be willing to work
systematically through policy and scientific jargon.

Research available for stipend? ($1,200/semester): Yes

Research available for course credit? (2 credits/semester): No

Research opportunity available to ASU Online students? Yes

5. NoGall: The world’s first genetically engineered microbe approved for environmental release

Faculty advisors

Emma Frow, Associate Professor, School for the Future of Innovation in Society

Research project overview

This project is concerned with piecing together the story of “NoGall,” the first genetically
engineered microbe approved for release outside the lab. NoGall was developed by
Australian scientists in the 1980s as a pesticide to combat crown gall disease, which
attacks agricultural plants including nut and fruit trees. In this project you’ll be
responsible for researching and producing a short case study about NoGall, similar to a
set of case studies developed for other genetically engineered organisms by members
of the Frow lab. You’ll be responsible for finding and analyzing relevant scientific papers, regulatory documents and commentary about NoGall to understand what opportunities and challenges there were in the development of this (at the time) cutting-edge biotechnology. This project will provide important historical context for understanding current debates around the release of genetically engineered microbes for a wide range of applications.

Research available for stipend? ($1,200/semester): Yes

Research available for course credit? (2 credits/semester): No

Research opportunity available to ASU Online students? Yes