Undergraduate Summer Research Experience Programs

Department of Statistics Summer Internship Program

Undergraduate students of Columbia College, Barnard College, the School of General Studies, and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences are invited to apply to the Department of Statistics’ summer internship program.  Students work under the supervision of faculty mentors. The internship provides summer housing and a stipend.

Applicants should send a brief statement of interest and a copy of their transcript to Ronald Neath (rcn2112@columbia.edu) in the Department of Statistics to be considered. Applications should be received no later than March 15, 2024.

For summer 2024, the following projects are available.  Please indicate the preferred project(s) in your statement of interest.

  • Application of AI in computer vision
  • Statistical Machine Learning for Single-Cell Genomics Data
  • Statistical Machine Learning for Neuroscience
  • Statistical Inference for Machine Learning Interpretations
  • Interpretations for Machine Learning Fairness
  • Non-Parametric Approximation of Optimal Generating Functions in Stochastic Portfolio Theory
  • Social penumbras, perceived inequality, and policy preferences

 

Questions about the program should be directed to Ronald Neath (rcn2112@columbia.edu).

Additional Opportunities 
 
Columbia Summer Undergraduate Research Experiences in Mathematical Modeling (CSUREMM) is a full-time eight-week program for collaborative undergraduate student summer research experiences in mathematical modeling. The purpose of the summer program is two-fold: to introduce the participants to some of the advanced topics in mathematical modeling and simulation encountered in modern interdisciplinary research, and to allow the participants to propose and develop collaborative interdisciplinary research projects under the joint mentorship of Columbia graduate students and faculty. The program is open to any continuing Barnard/Columbia undergraduate student, independent of U.S. residency. We particularly encourage women and historically underrepresented minorities to apply. 
 
The Public Interest Technology Data Science Corps (PIT-DSC) program was a collaboration between Columbia University and Lehman College, focused on research questions that had an obvious societal impact and improved the lives of New Yorkers. This program was funded by an award from the PIT University Network program of New America and is no longer active.
 
STAR (Summer Training for Aspiring Researchers) Program is a six-week program during Summer Session A for undergraduate students who are aspiring to become future researchers in statistics, data science, or a related field. The goal of the STAR Program is to broaden the pathways into these fields for students who are from groups that are historically underrepresented. Through formal courses, skill workshops, networking events, and research seminars, the program aims to provide participants with intensive training in mathematics, probability, statistics, programming, and research skills, along with rich opportunities for professional and personal development. In addition, participants of the STAR Program will receive mentoring from graduate statistics students and interact with the faculty of the Department of Statistics at Columbia University. The program is open to Barnard, Columbia, and visiting undergraduate students who are rising sophomores/juniors/seniors and are U.S citizens or permanent residents. 
 
The Irving Institute for Cancer Dynamics offers a 10-week Summer Research Internship for Undergraduates to perform cutting-edge research at Columbia University. In addition to research, participants will attend weekly events, such as scientific seminars, workshops, career, and professional development events, lab tours, etc. Undergraduate students from mathematics, computer science, statistics, computational biology, data science, biology, engineering, etc. are welcome to apply. Students from traditionally underrepresented groups in STEM fields are strongly encouraged to apply. This research opportunity is for talented undergraduate students from the NYC area. 
 
Another outlet for undergraduate students looking to obtain research experience is the Data Science Institute (DSI) and Data For Good Scholars Program