Undergraduate Position, Queen’s University (SWEP) – McDonald Institute Summer Research and Outreach Fellow(s)
This position is open to those pursuing an undergraduate degree at Queen’s University in Physics, Engineering, Engineering & Computing, Astrophysics, Education, Concurrent Education + other listed Science, Computer Science, Mathematics, Geology, Chemistry, or Material Science who have a strong interest in science research and outreach. This opportunity includes several positions that are part of the Summer Work Experience Program at Queen’s University. Each position will be full time for 16 weeks from May 1 through August 31, 2024, at a rate of $17.34 per hour.
Reporting to the Manager for Education & Public Outreach, each McDonald Institute Summer Research and Outreach Fellow will be responsible for both research, and research tools for training middle and high school students. 50% of the Fellow(s)’s time will be in progressing a research project of their choice with a faculty member (advertised at https://mcdonaldinstitute.ca/summer_fellow/), with the intent to produce or contribute to a scientific paper. Their other 50% of time will be co-developing and implementing a summer school (McDonald Institute’s Summer of Science) for a cohort of six-to-ten middle and high school students.
Each Fellow will have the unique opportunity to experience research from a scientific pursuit, and a pedagogical lens through which they will be mentoring students in the Summer of Science program in what may be their first experience in research. This is an exciting role that places the student(s) at the nexus of research and outreach, perfect for an individual interested in pursuing either future graduate studies or a science teaching position in high school. The individual will receive hands-on mentoring from a world-renowned researcher, gain experience developing an education program for middle and high school students, and further improve their understanding and communication of research skills, including problem identification, hypothesis development and testing, data capturing and analysis, disseminating results, and team leading. They will also improve their overall communication skills, in both a team setting as well as with the public.
The deadline to apply is February 13, 2024. Typically, all applications must be completed through the Queen’s University MyCareer portal, referencing position 141905, where more information about this opportunity is available. Applicants should include a CV or résumé and a cover letter. The cover letter must explicitly describe why this position is of interest to them, and indicate which research project (up to 2) listed at https://mcdonaldinstitute.ca/summer_fellow/ they are interested in working for and why that research project(s) in particular. We encourage applicants to reflect on any experience in a teaching/supervising role of younger students and speak to this experience in their application materials. Interested candidates are welcome to contact Mark Richardson, Manager for Education and Public Outreach, for any questions or concerns.
However, we will be hiring several students under this position, some of which will be funded external to SWEP. Students who are ineligible for SWEP positions (e.g., students graduating this year and/or students at other institutes beyond Queen’s) can also apply, but must apply with the same package, but sent directly to Outreach@McDonaldInstitute.ca. Students eligible for SWEP positions (ie., Queen’s students who be continuing in the fall) must apply through MyCareer as detailed above.
