Research Opportunities Abroad

Get into Research Presented by: Carolina Chanis Nov. 8th, 2007

Objectives
RISE program Getting a placement abroad: What are the advantages? How to go about it? Getting started: Opportunities on campus Research Internships abroad

 Offered by the DAAD (Deutsche Akademischer Austauschdienst) to students from U.S. and Canadian universities. Students (must have completed two years of University) apply to work with a German Ph.D. student in his/her research project. Award comprises of a monthly stipend of 650 Euros, the work permit waiver, health insurance, and a train pass to attend the RISE meeting in Heidelberg (hotel and food included).

Application Process
http://www.daad.de/rise/en/ Student can apply up to three projects and must submit: cover letter resume transcript description of courses taken a letter of reference Documents should be sent to each Ph.D. student and to the DAAD office in Bonn. Ph.D. students do a ranking of students for their projects and submit the list to the DAAD. DAAD does the matching process and successful applicants are contacted in late March.

More perks about the RISE program

Time flexibility: must start after May 15, and you can work from 1 to 3 months. You can contact the Ph.D. students during the application process. There is a forum and a database where you can contact other RISE students. Projects are offered in biology, chemistry, earth sciences, physics and engineering. German knowledge is not required to apply. RISE alumni have access to alumni forum and can apply to RISE PRO.

Deadlines
December 6th, 2007 Begins Registration Online January 31st, 2008 Application Deadline (all documents submitted) By March successful applicants are contacted.

Questions to think about:

WHERE do you want to go? WHEN do you want to go? HOW to increase your eligibility?

WHERE do you want to go?

My two cents on using internet search engines: Try different searches: by country, field, citizenship Use different key words (e.g. internships, fellowships, scholarships, research abroad) Prepare yourself for hours of browsing (click on everything thats clickable) Flyers on campus buildings (International House) Professional Associations UBC Career Services Companies in Canada with international branches

So you have found an internship which really interests you

HOW to increase your eligibility?

From Point A to Point B

?
PLAN AHEAD
To enhance your changes of getting a paid work experience abroad, start building your resume NOW!

Skills
Work in teams and communicate effectively Work independently Good writing and presentation skills Willingness to learn independently Enjoy multicultural work environments General technical skills: microbiology, molecular genetics and molecular or cell biology techniques. Work with model organisms and learn how to handle them.

Opportunities are available right at UBC!

Volunteering Directed Studies (Biol 448) Life Sciences Co-op Program Life Sciences Tri-Mentoring Program Land and Food Systems and Life Sciences Career Fair Career Services ROAD Program Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Conference (MURC)

Volunteering is a good way to get your foot in the door

1. Treat your volunteer job as a real job. 2. Dont hesitate to ask about doing a workstudy or work-learn term. 3. Dont be shy; ask smart and logical questions. 4. When you decide to move on, keep in touch with your supervisor. 5. Ask your supervisor permission to use his/her contact information as a job reference.

With a Directed Studies project you gain valuable experience and credits
1. Directed Studies takes a lot of time and effort! 2. Biol 448 is easier if you have taken courses related to your project. 3. Whatever you do, write it in your lab book and keep photographic record (if possible). Dont leave the data analysis and graphing until the end. 4. Did you like the work? Youll love doing this full-time

Life Sciences Co-op program trains students to do real work!

Workshops on cover letter and resume writing. Practice mock interviews. Job database available. Opportunities abroad available (specially during the summer). Work term reports improve your writing skills. The Co-op guarantee Increase chances of getting a good job after graduation.

Getting involved
ROAD Program: www.road.ubc.ca (accepting volunteers) LFS and Life Sciences Career Fair: http://www.landfood.ubc.ca/careerfair/ (Monday, Jan. 28th, 2008) Career Services: http://www.careers.ubc.ca/ Life Sciences Co-op: http://www.sciencecoop.ubc.ca/ (most deadlines have passed, apply in year 2) Tri-Mentoring Program: http://www.careers.ubc.ca/mentoring.cfm?page=progr ams (in Career Services website) Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Conference www.research.ubc/murc

Opportunities abroad
Industry and Academia

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

www.stri.org Location: Republic of Panama (several research stations) Volunteer positions and internships are available. Interns must write an essay with the application form. Contact researchers directly before filling out the application form.

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories

www.cshl.edu/URP/ Location: New York Undergraduate Research Program is offered for 10 weeks during the summer. 25 applicants are selected (worldwide) Research areas: cancer biology, neuroscience, plant biology, cellular and molecular biology, genetics, macromolecular structure, bioinformatics

BASF
www.basf.de/careers Location: Heidelberg, Germany You decide how long and when you want to start your internship! Fields: natural science, engineering, computer science, economics. Internships abroad (in the sister companies) are also available.

Merck
www.merck.de (Go to Careers University Students International Internships). Opportunities in America, Europe and Asia. Pharmaceuticals and Chemical business branches.

IAESTE
www.iaeste.org International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience. Worldwide opportunities for engineering, agricultural sciences, life sciences, commerce, arts. Application fee: 200$ Placement fee: 350$ (for arranging documents) Students earn enough for food and housing. Apply with IAESTE of your home country. For Canada: http://www.queensu.ca/iaeste/

BioRegion Rhein-Neckar-Dreieck
www.bioregion-rnd.de Contains a list of pharmaceutical/chemical companies and biotechnology companies located between the Rhein-Neckar-Dreieck region. Some companies have structured internship programs, but it never hurts to ask.