The Louise Rosenfeld Undergraduate Research Internship is designed to provide high-quality research experience to undergraduate students in the College of Health and Human Sciences while they contemplate the possibility of study towards an advanced degree. The program offers interns opportunities to:
- Work with prestigious faculty.
- Engage in research that impacts human lives.
- Learn about current research in their academic field by receiving hands-on experience in conducting research.
- Gain working experience that positively influences student learning, attitude, and career choice.
When: Rosenfeld internships occur fall, spring, and summer semesters.
The successful Louise Rosenfeld Undergraduate Research Internship applicant will:
- Be enrolled in an academic department/major within the College of Health and Human Sciences.
- Be classified as a junior or a senior.
- Have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
- Desire the challenge of conducting innovative and exciting research.
- Be considering graduate school and obtaining an advanced degree.
- Have identified a faculty mentor who will supervise their research experience.
- Not have received this internship previously.
Finding a Research Project and Faculty Mentor
Step 1: Explore Faculty Interests
- Talk to College of Health and Human Sciences faculty who you have enjoyed in class. Ask them what they are researching – maybe it will interest you, too.
- Use the faculty directory to check out faculty profiles to see what their research interests are.
- Make an appointment to talk to those faculty members whose research interests you share and ask whether they have research programs where you could assist. Let them know about the Rosenfeld program and give them the web address for more information. Talk to them about their current research and gain an understanding of the topic.
Step 2: Identify a Faculty Member to Work With
- After meeting with faculty, determine who you may want to work with for an internship.
- Politely ask them if they would supervise you as a faculty mentor if you applied for a Rosenfeld internship.
- Tell them that when you apply, they will be contacted by the Dean’s office to complete a brief statement of support and detailed information about what will be accomplished during the internship.
- Discuss with them what specific projects or tasks you will be assigned to complete during the internship. You will need this information when filling in your application form.
Students may only apply if they have not served as a Rosenfeld intern in the past.
- Applications for spring semester internships will be due October 1
- Applications for summer and fall internships have been extended to April 1
- The application will be open two weeks prior to these due dates
- Support statement from faculty research mentors reports are due within 72 hours of the application deadline for full consideration. Make sure to check with your mentor that this step has been completed
Demographic and educational background information will be requested in the online application. In addition, please prepare responses to the following questions:
- Internships involve up to 120 hours of work a semester. How many hours do you want to work?
- What is the research topic?
- Describe your expectations for what you would be doing during the internship and what you are hoping to learn during your internship (you may enter up to 20 lines of text).
- How will this internship help you achieve your future career/educational goals?
Support Statement from Faculty Research Mentor
After submitting your completed application, your faculty mentor will be sent an email and asked to fill in an electronic form with the following questions:
- The project in which the student will participate and what role the student will play in your project (2-3 sentences)
- Who will directly supervise the student? If the person is not you, please provide a description of how you will participate in the mentoring of the student. One of the main goals of the Louise Rosenfeld Undergraduate Research Internship is to provide students with an opportunity to learn directly from faculty, so your direct supervision in the mentoring of the student is preferred
- The experience and characteristics possessed by the student that will lend to their success in a research internship, including your thoughts on the student’s academic initiative, potential as a graduate student, and skillset for contributing to current research at ISU
- A rank/preference for the student in relation to other students who have talked to you about applying this semester. You may agree to mentor multiple interns in any given semester and if this is the case, please indicate your plans for providing a high-quality experience for all interns you intend to mentor
Please remind the faculty mentor to submit their support statement within 72 hours of the application deadline.
Notifications to students who are selected for this competitive research internship will be sent to the applicants’ iastate.edu email address on or before the Monday before classes start.
Research Hours and Salary
- The program will pay $10 per hour for up to 120 hours during the semester served
- Internships may not be extended beyond the original semester awarded
- Interns are paid as a student with a part-time, on-campus job. On-campus employment rules, including the university cap on number of hours worked per week, apply. Information can be obtained from the ISU Payroll Office
- Those who have already been awarded a Rosenfeld internship may not apply again
