Undergraduate Summer Research Fund

The Center for the Environment’s Undergraduate Summer Research Fund provides financial support for student research projects related to the environment. The Fund offers two types of research experiences for students. In 2002 the Center established a competitive summer research grant program to support independent, original environmental research. Award amounts are normally between $500-$2,500, with a preference given to rising seniors seeking funds for senior honors thesis research. 

In 2007 the Center began a summer research assistantship program to encourage students to participate in summer research with Harvard faculty. The program offers funding for up to ten weeks of an undergraduate research assistant position at a competitive hourly wage. Each winter, the Center collects a wide variety of research assistant opportunities from its Faculty Associates and makes them available for download. To start the application process, students should first identify faculty members whose work is of interest to them and contact them directly to determine if their background is appropriate for a particular project. Students should then fill out the common summer research fund application form.

For more information about the Undergraduate Summer Research Fund, contact:

Lorraine Maffeo, Environmental Science and Public Policy Coordinator
Phone: (617) 496-6995
Email: maffeo@fas.harvard.edu
Address: Environmental Science and Public Policy
24 Oxford Street, 3rd Floor
Cambridge, MA 02138

For more information about students and projects that have received prior funding, see:

Individual Grant Recipients
Research Assistant Awards

The Center gratefully acknowledges Bertram Cohn, Beverly Wu, and Eric Larson for their generous support of the Undergraduate Summer Research Fund.