National Science Foundation Supported Research Opportunities in Physics, Bio-physics, and Astronomy for Community College Students

Undergraduate participation in physics research at Queensborough Community College, a two-year college serving students in the New York City area, has been part of the college’s academic program for over 20 years. Sponsors have included NIH RIMMS, LSAMP, NASA NSF, and PSC-CUNY. The college is offering Research Experiences for Undergraduates this summer supported by the National Science Foundation. Students will have the opportunity to participate in current research projects in physics, bio-physics, or astronomy and perform independent research on a wide range of projects that aim to broaden their understanding of science and involve them in the acquisition, analysis, and presentation of experimental data.

Research Program Objectives

The chief goals of the program are:

• To introduce students to a variety of current issues in science.
• To define and discuss useful methods.
• To provide instruction in experimental design and efficacy.
• To have meaningful faculty-student discussions on the experimental results.
• To assist with the production of a presentation of each student’s work at a conference.
• To inform students of opportunities at four-year colleges and summer initiatives.

Program Details

The program is a 10-week long research program that runs from May 28, 2024, to August 2, 2024. This program provides an opportunity to do interesting research in a wide variety of topics with individual mentors. In addition, basic research skills are highlighted including responsible conduct in research, statistics, data handling, and presentation skills. Each student will have an opportunity to present their summer research at a symposium at Queensborough and will be encouraged to present and publish their results in other forums.

• Community College Students Only
• Full time student
• U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident