STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY/Southampton

Undergraduate Research for Credit 

ATM 487 Senior Research in Atmospheric Sciences or MAR 487 Research in Marine Sciences 

If you are an undergraduate interested in research for credit at SoMAS, here is what you should do: 

1. Review the Faculty Profiles on this web site or the Faculty Listing for the Marine Sciences Research Center in the current Undergraduate Bulletin. 

2. Identify several faculty members whose research is interesting to you.

3. Contact these faculty members by e-mail and ask them if any research openings currently exist in their lab. Individuals with openings will respond to your message. 

4. Even if you do not hear from anyone, don't give up! Consider waiting a semester and trying again, since new research opportunities may become available at a later date. 

5. Once you are successful in locating a research position, you will be asked to register for 0-3 credits in either ATM 487 or MAR 487. The faculty member you will be working with will give you the appropriate section number to use when registering.  Prior to welcoming you into their research program, faculty will want to learn about your background. Each researcher will ask for different information, but here is a general idea of what they might want to know (You might consider anticipating some of these questions by including some of this information in your initial e-mail message): 

  • What is your current undergraduate year (i.e., first, second, etc.)?
  • What is your major and overall GPA?
  • What upper-division (300-level and above) science courses have you taken?
  • Do you have any prior research experience? If so, please briefly describe it. Did it involve field, laboratory, or theoretical work? 
  • What aspect of the faculty member's research is most interesting to you?
  • Why do you want to do research in atmospheric sciences, marine sciences, or waste management?
  • What do you want to do after you graduate?
  • Is there a member of the faculty at Stony Brook who is familiar with your abilities and who would be willing to act as a reference? 
  • What special abilities do you have that would help you in a research position?
  • What amount of time (be realistic) would you be willing and able to commit to a research project?
  • What times (mornings, afternoons, days) might you be available?