Project Openings
Below are currently advertised UROP projects available to MIT, CME and cross-registered Wellesley College undergraduates. All projects, regardless of mode (pay, credit, or volunteer) are expected to be worth MIT academic credit and be supervised by MIT faculty. Projects appear on this list in the order they have been received.
Available UROPs
NOTE: These projects do not represent all available UROPs as many faculty do not submit project listings for this site. Rather, they expect interested students to contact them based on their general research to discuss potential UROPs.
UROP Project listings are posted for approximately one month before they are removed unless we are asked to re-post.
5/15/13
Department/Lab/Center: Urban Studies and Planning
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Amy Glasmeier
Project Description: We are seeking UROPs to assist in a Study of the Future of Long-Term Care Needs of Veterans in Massachusetts lead by Dr. Amy Glasmeier. This research is funded by the Massachusetts Department of Health and Human Services.
Our UROP positions are a wonderful opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge of the continuum of services available to disabled veterans in addition to obtaining valuable experience working on an interdisciplinary team in the field of veteran’s health care. The ideal candidate is a pre-med student interested in the needs of disabled veterans or a student in an allied field that deals with health care, health policy, or veterans’ issues. Successful candidates will have a strong interest in health care, health policy, veterans’ issues, and/or housing.
We have two open positions. The first position focuses on understanding how the State can best meet the housing and long-term care needs of veterans. The second position focuses on (1) the evaluation of Massachusetts’ two Soldiers Homes from a state and federal regulatory position and (2) modeling the current and projected supply and demand for the services that the Soldiers Homes provide.
Key qualifications:
· Excellent communication skills
· Ability to work with an interdisciplinary team
· An Interest in veterans’ health policy and the provision of services to this populations
· Experience conducting interviews, familiarity with military service, and/or familiarity with the medical needs of vulnerable populations are a plus.
Contact: Amy Glasmeier (amyglas@MIT.EDU)
5/15/13
Department/Lab/Center: Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Chris Schmandt
Project description: Our group designed and built a new compact and low-power depth sensor for tracking hand gestures. The specifications of this device make it suitable for mounting on several battery operated smart devices such as phones, and smart glasses. We are currently building a set of interaction techniques that use the sensor for gestural input to head mounted displays such as the Google Glass. We are looking for motivated UROPs that would like to spend the summer building applications for an emerging class of wearable devices.
Pre-requisites: Programming experience -- C++ and/ or matlab. And ability to quickly learn new software tools. If you're familiar with some computer vision/ image processing/ machine learning that would be a plus but not a requirement. If you have worked with the Kinect before, that's another plus.
Note: Full-time, paid positions available for the summer.
Contact: Please write to Andrea (acolaco@mit.edu) with a brief description of your experience and a copy of your resume.
5/15/13
Department/Lab/Center: Edgerton Center
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Rich Fletcher
Project Title: Mobile Phone Diagnostic Tools for India Health Study
Project Description: We have an opening for a Summer UROP student to help with development and deployment of various diagnostics tools we have been developing this past year. We are using both optical based tools and also electromagnetic sensors to do anemia screening this summer in partnership with the Public Heath Foundation of India, which is one of the largest academic instituions in India that trains public health workers. Anemi screening will be done in rural villages and some urban sites outside Delhi/Haryana and surrounding states. We have funding for an additional student to join the project and travel to India this summer for a few weeks. We are considering both hardware and software backgrounds, and we are open to considering students with biomedical background as well.
UROP tasks will include: We are looking for a reponsible student who has sincere interest in global health and developing countries, and has some technical background in either (1) software development (Android JAVA SDK or C NDK), (2) firmware development (in C for Atmel micros), (3) biomedical lab experience with printed diagnostics or (4) electronics design and testing. UROP tasks include helping to develop and test the tools we have been developing this year, as well as some new ones. Travel to India is optional, although strong preference will be given to those students willing to spend time in India. Ideal candiates would also have good social skills and be able to help train the health workers in India who are collaborating on the project. This is a great opportunity to work side-by-side with a clinical team in India and experience first-hand how the health infrastructure operates in India.
Contact: Dr. Rich Fletcher (fletcher@media.mit.edu) (and mention for which project you are applying)
5/15/13
Department/Lab/Center: Edgerton Center
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Rich Fletcher
Project Title: Image processing for Mobile Diagnostics
Project Description: We are currently seeking a new UROP student to assist with image processing algorithms for 2 ongoing health projects: (1) using mobile phones to capture multispectral images and perform biometrics using blood vessel patterns in the hand and (2) using mobile phone camera to detect worms (Loa Loa) in blood using a fluorescent markers. Currently we plan to process these images in MATLAB and other software, with the eventual goal of doing the image processing directly on Android phones using JAVA or C.
UROP tasks will include: We are looking for a student with at least some background in image processing, ideally with experience in Gabor wavelet filters, to help develop some classification algorithms for both research projects. A solid applied math or computer science background is desired. No biomedical background is necessary. The student should be able to work independently, and attend weekly group meetings to check on progress. At this time we are interviewing students who are interested in working this summer or starting in the fall. Pay or credit is available or UAP project consideration.
EECS Student (6.x) or anyone with relevant experience
Contact: Dr. Rich Fletcher (fletcher@media.mit.edu) (and mention for which project you are applying)
5/15/13
Department: Aeronautics and Astronautics
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Emilio Frazzoli
Project title: Implementing and testing of control algorithms for safe autonomous landing of a quadrotor
Project description: The goal of this project is to implement and test various control strategies that have been developed for safely landing a quadrotor in a motion capture environment, subject to disturbances and uncertainties in the landing site. Specifically, the student will learn about two different control strategies, and implement them in C++ to interface with ROS (Robot Operating System) which polls data from the quadrotor and the motion capture system and sends wireless control inputs to the quadrotor. Additional tasks may involve the design of the landing site, improvement of the control design and comparison of the different approaches.
Prerequisites: Comfortable with programming in C++; prior experience in robotics; working knowledge of ROS (Robot Operating System) is a plus.
Contact: Sze Zheng Yong (szyong@mit.edu).
5/15/13
Department: Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Faculty Supervisor: Ann Graybiel
Project title: Decision making by neural circuits of the basal ganglia and cortex
Project Description: Help us do experiments to solve the mysteries of the brain! In this project, you will assist us in performing experiments using neural recording, microstimulation, and manipulation of brain cell activity using the cutting-edge technique of optogenetics in rodents. There is also the potential for you to assist in brain surgeries to implant micro-devices that you will build and to collect and analyze fluorescence microscopy data.
This is an excellent UROP for students seeking laboratory experience in preparation for medical school or a research PhD program. No prior experience is required, but you must be highly motivated, conscientious and detail oriented. We ask you to work 20 to 40 or more hours per week during the summer and will give preference to candidates who can also commit to working at least 12 hours per week during the academic year for at least one year. We can only provide academic credits (not payment) for new UROPs.
In this project, our goal is to understand the functions of the striatum, cortex, and other brain areas in decision-making tasks performed by rodents. The striatum is a key part of the basal ganglia that receives input from midbrain dopamine neurons, cortex, and thalamus. It is thought to be centrally involved in decision making and selection not only at the level of movements but also at the level of goals, strategies, thoughts, emotions, and sensory interpretations. It is implicated in movement disorders like Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and dystonia, as well as addiction, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Tourette syndrome, autism spectrum disorders, aspects of schizophrenia, and other disorders.
Contact: Leif Gibb (lgibb@mit.edu) and Alexander Friedman (afried@mit.edu)
5/10/13
Department/Lab/Center: Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Rebecca Saxe
Project Description: The Social Cognitive Neuroscience Lab (Saxelab) in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences is looking for a UROP student to assist with two projects.
Project 1: Using EEG to investigate neural plasticity resulting from congenital blindness. We are examining differences in linguistic processing between blind and sighted individuals.
Project 2: MEG investigation of Theory of Mind. This aim of this study is to use MEG to explore neural processing during Theory of Mind and moral reasoning tasks.
You will have the exciting opportunity to aid in data acquisition and analysis for both projects, learning to use EEG and MEG equipment, and to analyze event related potentials.
Applicants should preferably have some research experience. MATLAB experience is also preferable.
Preference will be given to candidates who can commit to working 20 to 40 or more hours per week during the summer. We can only provide academic credits (not payment) for new UROPs. Opportunities exist to continue working with the lab next fall, for pay.
Contact: If you are interested, please email Julianne Herts (jherts@mit.edu) with a brief introduction of yourself and description of your interests and CV, and a list of relevant courses taken.
5/10/13
UROP Department/Lab/Center: MIT Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Professor Hugh Herr
Project Description: The design of comfortable prosthetic sockets is dependent on an integration of multiple research fields. For a variable-impedance prosthetic socket project we are doing, we use MRI/ medical imaging, Segmentation of data, matlab processing, solidworks design, FEA on Abaqus, 3D printing, kinetic gait studies in motion capture... It is the perfect opportunity to learn so many useful skills. We are looking for students who are passionate about doing something that has impact in the world and who are curious and ready to learn new software/skills. (http://www.media.mit.edu/research/groups/biomechatronics)
Prerequisites: The student should have some experience in some or all of the following; CAD/CAM (Solidworks, FEA etc), image processing, matlab. A minimum of 8-10 hours/week is expected during the summer. Only volunteer position available but if you are super excited, then we could talk.
Contact: If interested, please send a brief description of your qualifications to David Sengeh (dsengeh@mit.edu) as soon as possible.
5/10/13
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Pattie Maes
Project Description: Seeking UROP for Internet of Things/HCI project
We are looking for a junior or senior EECS student to join the research on the Smarter Objects project in the Media Lab's Fluid Interfaces Group.
Project Website: http://fluid.media.mit.edu/projects/smarter-objects
This project creates new interaction methods for electronic devices surrounding us in our everyday life. You will write code that makes it easier to interact with many hardware devices and web services.
The UROP's main goals will be:
1. Learn about the frameworks and software used to realize the project.
2. Create novel mobile interaction using Markup languages, Javascript, Open Frameworks and Opengl.
3. Simplify the way we will interact with the Internet of Things.
The tasks will involve coding in C++.
Experience with HCI and HTML render engines will be a plus.
Contact: If you think this is from interest for you,
send a resume and a list of projects you have worked on so far to: heun@media.mit.edu.
The UROP position can be paid or for credit.
5/10/13
Department/Lab/Center: Mechanical Engineering
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. John Hart
Project Title: Calibration and Prototype Development of a Handheld Nanoliter Pipetting Device
Project Description: The micropipette is a ubiquitous device in all wetlabs for drawing and dispensing calibrated amounts of liquids. It is an integral tool in many fields, including chemistry, biology, forensics, and pharmaceuticals. Limitations of commercial pipettes include the following: (1) pipette volume capacity is not scalable; (2) the highest resolution pipettes are only capable of drawing liquids >50nl; and (3) small pipetted volumes may only be accurate to ~20% due to several factors, including user technique, environmental conditions, and pipetted liquid properties. To overcome these limitations, Justin Beroz and Professor John Hart invented a patent-pending concept for pipetting arbitrarily small liquid volumes, and have designed a prototype device. We would like to work closely with an undergraduate student who will assist in fabrication and calibration of the pipette. During the summer, the student will work with Justin to: (1) Develop a technique to accurately measure microliter to picoliter volumetric displacements of mechanical devices; (2) Design and fabricate a laboratory apparatus, implementing this technique, for experimental measurement of the prototype’s pipetting characteristics; (3) Design and fabricate a simple glovebox enclosure with stable humidity levels for accurate pipetting with the prototype device. With initial success, this project could be continued for a MechE senior thesis. As a possible continuation, the student may design a commercial version of the prototype pipette, which could be made in high volume such as by injection molding. Assuming successful demonstration of the prototype, this will be used to explore commercialization opportunities.
Contact: If you are interested, please email Prof. Hart (ajhart@mit.edu) and Justin Beroz (jberoz@mit.edu) and attach your resume.
Applications received by Friday, May 17 will be given full consideration.
5/6/13
Department/Lab/Center: Health Sciences and Technology
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Rakesh K. Jain
Project Description: Interested in learning laboratory basic and translational research and contribute to the cancer field this summer? We have one position available for an undergraduate student to join a new project in the Edwin Steele Laboratory for Tumor Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital (Harvard Medical School) dealing with environmental influences on cancer progression. The laboratory is led by Dr Rakesh K. Jain, Professor of Tumor Biology and an HST-affiliated faculty member. Specifically, we aim to study how metabolic derangements like obesity can promote tumor growth, and whether therapy targeting this connection can be effective against cancer.
You will be given the possibility to learn/practice in vivo and in vitro techniques and to perform data analysis. You will be able to work with mouse models, perform basic mouse surgery, microscopy (confocal/intravital imaging), immunohistochemistry, cell culture and several in vitro techniques (RNA preparations and qPCR, Western blot analysis for protein expression, ELISA for protein quantification, and others).
Applicants should preferably have some research experience and an interest in cancer research in general and in tumor biology in particular, and be willing to continue over the winter semester. But above all, be enthusiastic and eager to learn and contribute to a research project addressing an important issue in the cancer field.
Significant contributions will be recognized with co-authorship on manuscripts published as a direct result of the student's work.
More information about the laboratory can be found on the website http://steele.mgh.harvard.edu
Contact: Joao Incio, MD. jincio@steele.mgh.harvard.edu
5/6/13
Summer 2013
Department: Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Mitchel Resnick
Project Title: Build-in-Progress: A New Platform for Sharing DIY Projects
Project Description: We are designing a new microblogging platform for Makers to share DIY projects, particularly projects built in the physical world. The platform incorporates a mobile app and web app to make it easy for people to upload photos of their project, share their process with one another, and remix each other's projects. We are looking for 2-3 programmers to help implement features of the website and the Android mobile app.
Position Title #1: Web Programmer
This student will be working in Ruby on Rails to design and implement core features of the website. This UROP should have a strong background in HTML, CSS, and Javascript and experience programming in groups (using Github, etc.). It would be especially helpful if the student has prior experience with Ruby on Rails and SQL databases. The student must be a highly motivated and independent problem solver.
Position Title #2: Android Programmer
This student will be working on designing and implementing core features of the mobile application including developing a custom camera interface and syncing with hosting services. The student should have strong prior experience with Android. A plus would be if the student has experience with iOS or is willing to learn how to translate the application to iOS. The student must be able to work independently and be interested in designing intuitive user interfaces.
Contact: Please contact ttseng@mit.edu with a paragraph description of your interest and a copy of your resume. Please also indicate whether you have experience with other project-sharing platforms, especially Instructables (include a link to a project you've published if relevant).
5/6/13
Department: Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Faculty Supervisor: Matthew Wilson
Project Title: Real-time Brain Decoding using Functional Programming
Project Description: In Matt Wilson's lab, we study spatial learning by recording the activity of many neurons in rat brains as rats run in mazes, and afterwards as they sleep and dream. Next, we want to do this in real-time, so that we can disrupt or encourage these activity patterns during the experiment, to potentially manipulate the rate of learning or the nature of the encoding.
We are looking for a few motivated students to join us in building a new recording system capable of real-time brain activity decoding and feedback. The project touches on a lot of areas: signal processing, computer vision, networking, GUIs, OpenGL, data persistence, algorithmic search, and blogging of our progress if others might find it useful.
The atmosphere around the project is oriented toward self enrichment as much as material progress. It's a very good interdisciplinary project for students interested in scientific computing, futuristic programming disciplines, and open source software.
Prerequisites: Applicants should be proficient in functional programming or very excited to learn about it. The codebase is written in Haskell.
Contact: Please e-mail Greg Hale (greghale@mit.edu), with some information about yourself and your interest in the project.
5/6/13
Department: Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Faculty Supervisor: Josh McDermott
Project Title: Measurement of environmental acoustics for the interdisciplinary study of human hearing
Project description: Sounds in the world reach our ears through many paths, most of which involve reflections off of surfaces in the environment. These reflections are collectively referred to as reverberation, and they inextricably color and distort sound. Listeners recognize sounds despite the distortion, and in fact use reverberation to judge qualities of environmental spaces. We seek to understand the basis of this ability. As part of these investigations, we intend to systematical!
ly measure the reverberation that listeners encounter in day-to-day life. To this end we will construct a portable measurement system, relying on signal processing algorithms that permit measurements in public spaces using unobtrusive low-volume sound-sources. The reverberation measurements obtained in this way will be used in perceptual experiments and for the development of novel dereverberation algorithms for automated-speech-recognition. This is an interdisciplinary project that combines signal processing, computational acoustics, perceptual psychology and cognitive science.
Prerequisites: (1) An interest in acoustics, perceptual psychology and signal processing algorithms. (2) A willingness to carry a digital recorder and a portable speaker around town and make acoustic measurements of indoor and outdoor public spaces. (3) Prior experience with, or a strong desire to learn, a computer programming language.
How to apply: please send any questions or resumés to James Traer (jtraer@mit.edu)
5/6/13
Department: Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Faculty Supervisor: Josh McDermott
Project Title #1: Auditory Psychophysics
Project description: The McDermott Lab in the Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department seeks a summer UROP to assist with all aspects of behavioral experiments on human hearing. The position would involve designing, programming, piloting, and running experiments on human subjects. Topics of study could include sound segregation (the cocktail party problem), sound recognition, and/or music perception. This is an ideal opportunity to learn about psychophysical methods, sound, and the auditory system.
Prerequisites: (1) An interest in auditory perception, good people skills, and a strong work ethic. (2) Programming experience is preferable but not absolutely necessary.
How to apply: please send a statement of interest and a CV to Professor Josh McDermott (jhm@mit.edu)
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Project Title #2: Big Audio Data – Using Real-World Audio Recordings to Generate Hypotheses About the Brain
Project description: We want to install sound recording devices in public spaces on campus, around town, and in the countryside, for the purpose of recording real-world audio continuously over long periods of time. We will analyze the statistics of the recorded audio for the purpose of generating hypotheses about the auditory system. For instance, we can learn audio features that capture the most variance in real-world audio, as these are potentially things that the auditory cortex might want to detect and use for sound recognition. The initial challenge will be to design recording devices that can be mounted in outdoor locations, and that can stream recorded audio data to a server. Smartphones might work for this purpose; an alternative would be small-scale computers like the Raspberry Pi. The goal of this UROP is to implement this system. The project is ideal for someone interested in sound recording and electronics but who also wants to learn something about auditory perception and computational neuroscience.
Prerequisites: (1) An interest in sound recording, computers, and auditory perception. (2) Some knowledge of audio recording and portable computing.
How to apply: please send a statement of interest and a CV to Professor Josh McDermott (jhm@mit.edu)
5/6/13
Department/Lab/Center: Health Sciences and Technology
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Rakesh K. Jain
Project Description: Interested in learning laboratory basic and translational research and contribute to the cancer field? We have one position available for an undergraduate student to join a new project in the Edwin Steele Laboratory for Tumor Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital (Harvard Medical School) dealing with environmental influences on cancer progression. Dr. Rakesh K. Jain, Professor of Tumor Biology and an HST-affiliated faculty member lead the laboratory.
Specifically, we aim to study target heat shock protein 90 to enhance the large molecular therapeutics in breast cancer and pancreatic cancer; target CD40 to enhance cancer autoimmunityon pancreatic cancer model; the functional and mechanism study on vasculogenic mimicry in ErbB2 positive breast cancer and brain metastasis tumor.
You will be given the possibility to learn/practice in vivo and in vitro techniques and to perform data analysis. You will be able to work with mouse models, perform basic mouse surgery, microscopy (confocal/intravital imaging), immunohistochemistry, cell culture and several in vitro techniques (RNA preparations and qPCR, Western blot analysis for protein expression, ELISA for protein quantification, and others).
Applicants should preferably have some research experience and an interest in cancer research in general and in tumor biology in particular, and be willing to continue over the winter semester. But above all, be enthusiastic and eager to learn and contribute to a research project addressing an important issue in the cancer field.
Significant contributions will be recognized with co-authorship on manuscripts published as a direct result of the student's work.
More information about the laboratory can be found on the website http://steele.mgh.harvard.edu
Contact: Shiwei Han, MD. shiwei@steele.mgh.harvard.edu
5/6/13
Department/Lab/Center: Health Sciences and Technology
Faculty Supervisor: Sangeeta Bhatia
Project Title: Enhancing transport of drugs into tumors with gold nanoparticles
Project Description: This UROP project will be conducted with Harvard Medical School MD/PhD student Alex Bagley in the laboratory of Dr. Sangeeta Bhatia. The project will investigate the ability of gold nanoparticles to enhance the delivery of therapeutics into solid tumors. We are exploring how gold nanoparticle-localized heating within the tumor’s microenvironment alters transport properties and therapeutic efficacy of chemotherapeutics used in the clinic. This bioengineering project will offer opportunities in synthesizing nanoparticles, learning a variety of biochemical techniques, and working with animal models of cancer. For students deciding between medical school, graduate school, or dual-degree programs, guidance on making this decision will be available if desired.
Prerequisites: Applicants should demonstrate a strong interest in biomedical research and medicine and be able to commit an average of 10-15 hours per week for at least 1 year. A positive attitude, enthusiasm, and ability to work well with others are necessary.
Contact: Applicants should send a CV, cover letter, and transcript (unofficial is fine) to Alex Bagley (abagley@mit.edu)
5/1/13
Department/Lab/Center: Materials Science and Engineering
Faculty Supervisor: Professor Michael Cima
Project Title: 3.091 Online Assessment Tool
Project Description: Take part in revolution in education by helping create a new 3.091 assessment tool. This position will work closely with the instructor to create 3.091 problem databases. The software tools for this have already been prototyped and tested. The massive 3.091 analog database will be digitized by this project into problem libraries that can generate new problems on demand. The research goals for this project will be to measure effectiveness of this assessment approach versus historical data on learning outcomes in 3.091.
Pre-reqs: Knowledge of 3.091 Materials
Conact: Kerri Mills (kamills@mit.edu), x3-3490
5/1/13
Department/Lab/Center: McGovern Institute
Faculty Supervisor: Professor Ed Boyden
Project Title: Engineering Technologies for Keeping Brain Tissue Alive
Project Description: Two UROP positions are available in the Synthetic Neurobiology Group at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research and the MIT Media Lab, working with Ph.D. student Nikita Pak under the guidance of Dr. Ed Boyden. The UROPs will initially lead efforts in the identifying the key chemicals needed to keep brain tissue alive in vitro, key for enabling the detailed study of brain tissues in a variety of scientific and clinical contexts, using informatic strategies as well as biological insights. The UROPs will then create and test several novel chemical cocktails for keeping brain tissues alive outside of the body. UROPs are expected to participate in lab meetings including presenting their research. For more information about the lab see:
http://www.syntheticneurobiology.org.
Prerequisites: Prior research experience, especially in biology or bioengineering, is a plus but not required. Some programming skills may be of use for informatic data mining. Qualified applicants must have an interest in neuroscience and a strong work ethic, be detail oriented, reliable, and work well with others. We require 15-20 hours/week during the semester and working full time over the summer with a minimum 1 year commitment, and highly suggest being open to a multi-year commitment as that can result in co-authorships and publications.
Contact: Interested applicants should send a cover letter, resume, and transcript (unofficial is ok) to Nikita Pak, nikpak@mit.edu and Ed Boyden, esb@media.mit.edu.
5/1/13
Department/Lab/Center: Biology/Whitehead Institute
Faculty Supervisor: Professor Harvey F. Lodish
Project Title: Computational characterization of genes involved in the regulation of red blood cell development
Project Description: The proper generation of red blood cells is regulated at multiple levels by different components such as transcription factors, microRNAs and long noncoding RNAs. Our lab has recently identified large collections of these components using high-throughput experimental approaches.
We are looking for an additional highly motivated, independent and committed UROP student to help us investigate diverse aspects about the regulation and function of these genes through computational approaches. These studies include comparative analyses of sequence, structural and functional features across relatively large datasets. The UROP student will have the opportunity to gain experience in the analysis of data derived from large-scale experimental techniques using a wide range of cutting-edge computational tools.
The ideal candidate would be a course 6-7 student student or a course 6 student with a strong interest in Molecular Biology and/or Medicine.
Requirements: Familiarity with basic shell scripting and standard programming languages. Completion of a Comp Bio course (e.g. 6.047, 6.874, 7.36) or alternatively prior experience in bioinformatics research strongly recommended.
Start date: Summer and continuing into the Fall term strongly preferred.
Commitment: About 10-12 hrs/week during the summer. No fixed schedule required, but weekly results expected. Willing to commit 1+ terms(s) is a plus.
Contact: Interested students should contact Juan Alvarez (juan.alvarez@mit.edu) and include a resume hihglighting relevant experience as well as a brief description of their status at MIT.
5/1/13
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Sloan School of Management
Faculty Supervisor: John Carroll
Project Description: New project on ways that people now pay to get special treatment. For example, you can pay more to board airplanes earlier than other passengers. You can hire a person at Disney World who gets you to the front of the line for every ride. You can hire a person who waits on lines for you to buy tickets, get your driver's license, etc. I would like to document some of these with some basic descriptions of how frequent they are and who is using them. I would then like to do a survey of how fair these are perceived to be. Do most people think it is ok to pay more and go to the front of the line, or is this "un-American"? Do people accept a two-tiered society where the rich have a very different experience from everyone else, or is this seen as corrosive to community and culture? This project is in the idea and exploration phase, but should move rapidly from searching the media to collecting survey data.
Contact: jcarroll@mit.edu
5/1/13
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Mechanical Engineering
Faculty Supervisor: Karl Iagnemma
Project Title: Experimental study of Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mobility.
Project Description: The Robotic Mobility Group (RMG) is looking for a talented student to conduct terramechanics research. The student will be in charge of:
- design and fabricate new parts (25%),
- perform experiments with a Mars Science Laboratory wheel(75%).
The project will involve work with force sensors, strain gauges, actuators, encoders, and control software. This research is conducted in support of NASA Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission. Work will be carried under the supervision of Dr. Karl Iagnemma (director of RMG) and Dr. Carmine Senatore (research scientist) and it starts, virtually, immediately.
Prerequisite: basic courses in dynamics, design, and fabrication are required. Knowledge of Solidworks, Labview, and Matlab is necessary. Enthusiasm and dedication over the Summer project warrants the potential for the project to continue into multiple semesters. This project is suitable for a Bachelor thesis project.
Contacts: interested applicants should email senator@mit.edu with your resume and a cover letter.
5/1/13
Department/Lab/Center: CECI
Faculty Supervisor: Jesus del Alamo
Project Title: iLab UROPs
Project Description: The Center for Educational Computing Initiatives (CECI) is looking for UROPs to work on the iLab project. iLabs are real laboratories accessed through the Internet (http:/ilab.mit.edu/wiki). The MIT iLab Project has openings for UROPs interested in educational technology. We are looking people to fill the following roles:
Remote Lab Developer - We are looking for students to help develop a new set of remote laboratories focusing on building environmental control. This is part of a partnership with the Building Technology program of the School of Architecture to develop new remotely accessible labs that will be used both at MIT and at the new Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). We are looking for a student to work with faculty and staff to adapt and extend parts of an existing built environment testbed for control within the iLab Shared Architecture. Experiments include demonstrating thermal comfort, infrared imaging of climate-test chamber heat transfer, hands-on temperature PID loop tuning and system component modeling.
Software Development – We are looking for students with a background in software development to help extend the iLabs architecture. Applicants should have an interest in educational technology, instrumentation control and physical control systems. A demonstrably strong programming background is required. Experience with GIT, Python, Javascript, SQL, or .Net Framework technologies are a bonus but not required. This project will involve upgrading the iLabs user interface to take advantage of current web technologies and helping to integrate remote experiments in control and robotics into the iLab architecture. This project is part of an international effort involving universities in Spain and Columbia.
Web Developer/Manager– We are looking for a reliable student interested in getting involved with the iLab Project. Initial tasks will revolve around day-to-day management of the iLabs hosted at MIT including instrument/resource management and iLab user account management. This student would also provide the iLab team with web site management and publishing of ongoing information on our development projects. We're putting together a remotely accessible building technologies lab and, beyond just making the lab, we need to document the process to establish a template for future, student-led iLab development projects. For this, we need someone identify different technologies and stitch it all together. Applicants should be interested/familiar with blog toolkits (such as wordpress) and social media platforms.
Prerequisites for the Position: The ideal candidates will be self motivated, have excellent documentation & communications skills and the ability to work independently. Must have enthusiasm and a willingness to be part of a team that works in a flexible and dynamic environment. The iLab Project is constantly looking to enhance the educational experience it provides and the successful candidates will immediately be able to make contributions towards this goal. All positions have the possibility of continuing into the fall semester.
Contact: Interested applicants should contact Kirky DeLong (kirky@mit.edu) for more information.
5/1/13
Summer and Fall 2013
Department/Lab/Center: Architecture
Faculty Supervisor: Mark Jarzombek
Project Title: Creation of online version of Course 4.605 for MITx
We are joining the MITx online offering of MIT courses by developing a digital, MOOC version of Course XX. Using emerging, digital technologies, we will collaborate with The MITx team of project managers, video production specialists and technicians to transform Course xx into a scalable, online course offered through the edx platform.
MITx UROP Fellow Position Description: Under the guidance of Course 4 faculty and MITx course instructors ( Mark Jarzombek; 4.605) you will join the team as an MITx Fellow/UROP. You will participate and contribute to a host of cutting edge, online programming and research activities to support the creation of the digital, MOOC offering of Course [XX]. Examples of activities include: programming of course content and assessment problem components, preparation and evaluation of IP (intellectual property) content, development of course assessment questions, and participate in the recording and review of video and transcripts, and monitor and respond to discussion forum posts once the course is launched. The MITx Fellow/UROP may also participate in the analysis of course data. ]
As an MITx Fellow, you will also benefit from additional mentorship from the Office of Digital Learning through training opportunities and MITx Fellow community and knowledge sharing events. You will also have open access to MITx classes and privileged access to MIT leaders.
MITx Fellow UROP Position Requirements: Applicants should have a demonstrated, active interest in online learning and domain-specific knowledge about the course material. Experience with python programming, XML, HTML, and social coding tools like github would be a plus.
Position terms: MITx Fellow/UROP positions are paid positions through MITx
Summer: 2 positions ($800/week x 12 weeks = $9600)
Fall: 5 positions ($500/week X 15 weeks = $7500)
Contact: Mark Jarzombek mmj4@mit.edu
5/1/13
UROP Department/Lab/Center: CSAIL
Faculty Supervisor: Wojciech Matusik
Project Title: Creature Creator for an Interactive Robot Design
Project Description: We are interested in building an interactive design tool for robots/other objects. Our goal is to provide an experience similar to the Spore Creature Creator (e.g., see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRr3lgckIAM). The key difference is that with our process, users will be able to design and fabricate real robots/objects. We seek a candidate to help with the design and development of the software’s user interface. The ideal candidate should show a strong interest in robotics and UXD. Experience with Qt a plus.
Contact: wojciech@mit.edu
5/1/13
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Engineering Systems Division
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Deborah Nightingale
Project Description: The Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech) is being created as a new international university for research and education in Skolkovo, Russia. The mission of Skoltech will be to educate students, advance knowledge, and foster innovation in order to address critical scientific, technological, and innovation challenges and gaps facing Russia and the world. This project as part of the SkolTech/MIT initiative focuses on helping Skoltech demonstrate effective execution of the vision by delivering value to its diverse set of stakeholders.
The UROP will spend the summer working as a member of a research team continuing a project that aims to contribute to the successful development of Skolkovo Institute of Technology. Work on this project to date has documented the various Skoltech stakeholders and their expectations of value delivered from Skoltech’s operations. The focus this summer will be to study the impact of resourcing policies and incentive structures on the development of SkolTech and its ability to deliver value to its key external stakeholders.
Some of the activities that UROP(s) will be involved in include:
- Performing benchmarking analysis of universities with similar models to SkolTech
-Applied research production rates
-Quality of graduates and their job placements as a function of the quality and the number of faculty
Fundamental vs. applied research funding models and corresponding ROIs
-Universities impact on the broader economy
Assisting in modeling efforts (quantifying relationships among key variables)
The number of work hours per week is negotiable, with a minimum of 15 per week.
Contact: For more information about this opportunity, contact Dr. Eric Rebentisch (erebenti@mit.edu).
4/24/13
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Sloan School of Management
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Vivek Farias
Project description: We are looking for an undergraduate student to work in Prof Farias' research group on developing an open source distributed linear programming solver. The project will involve implementing optimization algorithms in a message parsing interface allowing the computation to be performed over multiple machines. This is a great opportunity for a student who is interested in doing research in systems and distributed computing, or who wants to gain in depth expertise with cutting edge "big data" technology. This position is open for summer 2013.
Prerequisites: Experience with C/C++ or Java. Background in algorithms and data structures. Experience with map-reduce, MPIs or any other distributed computing paradigms is a plus.
How to apply: Please send your resume and a list of any relevant courses taken to vivekf@mit.edu and ciocan@mit.edu.
4/24/13
Summer 2013
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Health Sciences and Technology, Biomedical Engineering Center
Faculty Supervisor: Elazer Edelman
Project title: Mechanical fatigue and fracture of cardiovascular stents
Project description: Cardiovascular stents are implanted in millions of patients each year. Surprisingly, some 40% of all stents implanted eventually fracture. Our work seeks to understand the causes of stent fracture and the potential implications to disease progression and patient outcome.
There is one opening for an undergraduate interested in leading mechanical testing experiments. Research will include mechanical testing of stent devices, careful recording of observations and results, and data analysis. The ideal candidate will be able to commit to 40 hours per week during the summer and if possible receive training during the spring semester over 3-4 hours during 1-2 days per week beginning in late Apr/early May. Position will most likely be credit/volunteer but there may be an opportunity for supervisor research funding.
Prerequisites: Attention to detail and ability to keep an organized record of observations and results are essential. Prior work and/or laboratory and data analysis experience and an interest in engineering are desired.
Candidates must be reliable, organized, and independent with strong communication skills.
Contact: Interested applicants should send a description of their interest and resume to Kay Everett at kfurman@mit.edu, http://web.mit.edu/hst-program/erelab/
4/24/13
Summer 2013
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Urban Studies and Planning, Scheller Teacher Education Program
Faculty Supervisor: Eric Klopfer
Project Description:Interested in location-based technology? Interested in games? Want to play with smartphones? Apply to join the TaleBlazer team!
TaleBlazer is a location-based Augmented Reality (AR) game creation platform for making interactive, educational games. As players using the TaleBlazer mobile application move around the real world, their locations trigger interactions with virtual characters or objects that appear on their SPG-enabled smart phone. The TaleBlazer Editor web application allows game designers to easily build their own interactive AR games using a blocks-based programming environment (similar to Starlogo TNG, Scratch or AppInventor).
TaleBlazer is intended for educational purposes, in which players explore subject matter in a real world context in a new and exciting way. We have worked with zoos, historic locations, schools, after-school clubs, etc. to design and launch various professionally developed games with science, math, and history content. The TaleBlazer Editor can also be a valuable tool for student game designers, who learn programming skills and game design, while delving deeply into subject matter to create games about specific topics.
Position: Mobile User Interface Developer
Help us improve the usability of our mobile application. Your challenge is to use the existing tools to make the best possible user experience within the constraints of the Appcelerator Titanium platform. Full-time summer UROP position available. While this position is suitable for an undergrad with appropriate experience/interest, we are also considering students interested in expanding the scope of the project into a suitable MEng. In this case, the student would then continue for the ’13-’14 academic year in an MEng.
Technology: The mobile application is written in Javascript using a 3rd party toolkit called Appcelerator Titanium which compiles Javascript into native Android and iOS applications.
Requirements: Candidates must have a Mac for development. Previous UI design experience and/or coursework is necessary. Experience in graphic design and/or mobile development is a plus. No experience with Titanium is necessary. Team members should expect to spend the majority of their working hours on-campus in our lab.
Contact: If you are interested, please send an email to tep-jobs@mit.edu and include:
* an overview of your programming experience (specific references to relevant courses and other development and programming projects would be very helpful) including any pertinent URLs
* a summary of any previous UROP and relevant work experience (attach a resume if you have one)
* a short description of why you are interested in working on this project
* your availability, and desired number of hours/week for Summer 2013
* Please put "TaleBlazer UROP” in the subject line
4/24/13
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Chemical Engineering
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Kristala Prather
Project Title: Metabolic engineering to increase product yields.
Project Description: An undergraduate research position for this summer is available in the Prather lab in the department of chemical engineering. The project goals are to produce short-chained fatty acids and alcohols that may be used as biofuels and in the synthesis of value-added chemicals. We are interested in using chromosomal mutations to alter host cell metabolism in an effort to increase product yields. The undergraduate researcher will be trained to produce modified strains of E. coli using state-of-art techniques and to test these modified strains in fermentation experiments.
Prerequisites: Students with a general interest in metabolic engineering are encouraged to apply. The ideal candidate would have experience in molecular biology (PCR) and/or aseptic cell culturing technique. Students interested in continuing research into the fall are preferred.
Contact: Please send your resume/CV to Dr. Chris Reisch (crreisch@mit.edu).
4/24/13
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Rosalind Picard
Project Title: Crowdsourcing Mental Health and Emotional Well-Being
Project Description: This summer, the Media Lab is looking for a UROP to help build a crowdsourced web/mobile application for mental health. You will also help coordinate quantitative and qualitative research studies to assess how users interact with the technology. This project lies at the intersection of crowdsourcing and clinical psychology, and applicants should have a strong interest in at least one of these areas.
Prerequisites: Experience with jquery, html, and css is required. Experience with iOS development, or HTML5 mobile frameworks, is desired, though not required.
Ideal candidates should be creative, self-motivated, and should have strong communication skills.
Contact: Please contact Rob Morris (rmorris@media.mit.edu) if you have any questions about this position, or if you would like to set up an interview.
4/24/13
Summer 2013
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Urban Studies & Planning
Faculty Supervisor: Chris Zegras
Project Title: Smartphone Apps and Air Quality Monitoring for Sustainable Mobility in Rapidly Urbanizing Cities
Project Description: Do you have skills and experience in Arduino hardware development and/or smartphone app development and/or back-end database management or related skills? Interested in bringing those skills to the cause of sustainable mobility in rapidly developing cities? Join a team examining various possibilities for leveraging crowdsource-based information to improve sustainable transportation and environmental justice. This is an ongoing project through SMART Future Urban Mobility. UROP position will run from early May through the end of July (with some field visits to Singapore possible for those interested and able).
Contact: Amalia Holub aholub@mit.edu
4/24/13
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Mechanical Engineering
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Steven Dubowsky
Project Title: Development of Solar Powered Water Desalination Systems for the Developing World
Project Description: The Field and Space Robotics Laboratory in Mechanical Engineering is seeking a summer UROP student to work on an exciting project to deploy solar powered clean water technology to a remote community in Mexico. The student will focus on design of electrical and mechanical components, development of maintenance protocols for remote communities, and system documentation. Students with experience in electrical fabrication, machining and control systems are desired. Fluency (writing and speaking) in Spanish is also a large asset. This project will begin during the summer of 2013 and may also result in travel to Mexico for system installation, testing, data analysis, and training of local users.
Contact: For information and to apply, please contact Dr. Amy Bilton (bilton@mit.edu).
4/24/13
UROP Department/Lab/Center: HST
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Shiladit Sengupta
Project Description: Elucidating molecular mechanisms of metastasis is the final frontier in cancer biology. Metastasis is a complex process with many stages. Uncovering the steps of the metastatic cascade could lead to the development of metastasis-specific therapeutics; however, current in vivo model systems do not easily allow for decoupling of these isolated segments for experimental intervention, underlying the need to develop better platforms to identifying mediators of invasive disease. In response to these needs, we have developed a 3D in vitro co-culture system capturing molecular and physical interactions between metastatic cells and the endothelium. We have used this model to identify key mediators of endothelial-epithelial cell interactions, such as FAK and b1 integrin, to screen metastatic specific nanotherapeutics, and most significantly, to elucidate a novel form of intercellular communication that primes invasion through thin cytoskeletal projections called nanoChannels (nCs).Unlike classical modes of cell-cell communication (i.e.. paracrine, endocrine, and autocrine signaling), nCs allow for both rapid and directed transfer of intracellular contents from metastatic breast cancer cells to the endothelium. We have found that metastatic cells preferentially form nCs with the endothelium. Proteins, small cytoplasmic dyes, nanoparticles, and most interestingly, functional and active microRNAs (miRNAs) are transported into the endothelium through these structures. nCs are composed of cytoskeletal components and can be disrupted by low-dose actin-tubulin small molecule inhibitors presenting potential drug candidates for metastatic specific therapies.
The UROP will work on screening drugs that could potentially inhibit and/or disrupt the formation of nanochannels and developing a high throughput model for studying the transfer of materials through nCs.
Prerequisites: Cell Culture experience; Preferably a third/fourth year Undergraduate who will begin as soon as possible, and continue throughout the summer time.
Contact: If interested, please contact Shyama Nandakumar at shyama@mit.edu.
4/24/13
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Sloan School of Management; Economics
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Robert Pindyck
UROP POSITIONS IN ECONOMICS
Project Description: I am looking for one or two students to help with two related research projects. The first deals with the economics of climate change and the policy implications of multiple uncertainties (e.g., over the extent of future warming and its economic impact) and irreversibilities (with respect to both environmental damage and the sunk costs of abatement). I am especially concerned with implications of low-probability catastrophic outcomes. (For more information, go to my website and download “Uncertain Outcomes and Climate Change Policy” and “The Climate Policy Dilemma.”) I am also conducting a review of the current state of climate-economy modeling.
The second project addresses the economic and financial implications of possible global catastrophic events (such as nuclear terrorism or a mega-virus). In this work, simple general equilibrium models, calibrated to economic data, are used to infer the likelihood of catastrophic events and distributions for their impact, and to assess the “willingness to pay” to avert such events. (For more information, go to my website and download “The Economic and Policy Consequences of Catastrophes.”)
These projects will involve extensive programming in MATLAB, and some statistical analysis. The first project will also involve a detailed literature review. Candidates should have a strong working knowledge of MATLAB, as well as a good background in economics. They should also be able to work independently. The work can begin immediately, and could continue through the summer and possibly next fall.
Contact: If you are interested, please send a resume and transcript to: Professor Robert Pindyck, Sloan School of Management, Room E62-522, rpindyck@mit.edu.
4/17/13
Summer 2013
Department/Lab/Center: MIT Sea Grant College Program
Faculty Supervisor: Chrys Chryssostomidis
Project Title: Gathering Fisheries Social Science Expertise
Project Description: We are looking for a student interested in helping to develop a workshop for social scientists in the Northeast U.S. who are involved in fisheries-related research to be held in the fall of 2013 or spring of 2014.
The first task would be to complete a nation-wide directory of fisheries social scientists. We have over 200 social scientists in a draft directory, but would need the UROP student to contact many of the individuals to complete biographical information, including expertise and current research. This directory will have value to Sea Grant and a variety of publications seeking potential peer reviewers for projects and articles. It will also lead to identifying appropriate attendees for the workshop.
The second task would be to work with MIT and Maine Sea Grant to organize a workshop that would bring together the diverse social scientists in the region who are engaged in fisheries or marine-related work. The goals of the workshop would be to identify critical regional issues in commercial, recreational fisheries and potentially, aquaculture, that could be constructively addressed by social scientists; to provide an opportunity for the social scientists to meet and discuss collaborative options; provide Sea Grant with feedback on research they have funded, or may wish to fund in the future. Responsibilities will include the typical tasks of workshop organizing such as finding a facility, food, tracking projected costs, but also participation in the discussion of how to narrow the topic(s) and identify interesting speakers.
Prerequisites: We are seeking a summer UROP who is well-organized and able to work independently. Decent writing skills and willingness to make telephone calls are important. Students interested in the intersection of social sciences (governance and communities), marine businesses and science are most welcome to apply! This is for UROP direct funding or credit.
Contact: Please send an email to Madeleine Hall-Arber, arber@mit.edu and include:
· A short explanation about your academic interests, why you are curious about this project and what background you have that might be useful
· Summary of any previous UROP and work experience
· Availability
4/16/13
Summer 2013
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Department of Chemical Engneering
Faculty Supervisor: Professor Allan S. Myerson
Project Title: Crystallization of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients in Polymers
Project Description: Crystallization of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) in polymers is an interesting topic in pharmaceutical industry. Polymers have been widely used as excipients in drug formulation. The interactions between polymers and APIs may affect the physical and chemical properties of crystals inside. We are going to explore the mechanism of crystallization in polymers and the obtained crystal shape, size, polymorph and other properties.
Requirements: A responsible student who is able to work in the whole summer; A background of chemical engineering/chemistry is preferred; Basic lab experience with safety, equipment usage and chemical experiment; This is a good opportunity to publish a paper in this field.
Contact: Xiaochuan "Ben" Yang (yxc@mit.edu) for more information.
4/16/13
Summer 2013
Department/Lab/Center: Health Sciences & Technology (HST)
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Peter Szolovits
Project Description: At this time, we have two openings for research UROP at the Children's Hospital Informatics Program at the MIT/Harvard Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST). One involves machine learning/networking and the other involves mobile genomic apps. Our projects involve machine learning and network analysis method development, and application to bring bottom-up data-driven (e.g. Bayesian network learning) and top-down knowledge-driven approaches (ontolgoies) together and abstract out key information/underlying relationships. These projects involve work with a laboratory affiliated with the Children’s Hospital Informatics Program at the Harvard/MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology. Alternatively, there is an office space at MIT where we can work and have meetings.
There are two opportunities that require strong programming skills (medicine/molecular biology, CS, engineering, math, and/or physics background a plus). For one opportunity, a strong background in medicine/molecular biology, genetics, and evolution would be a plus. For the other opportunity, a background in probability, network theory, linear algebra, machine learning, and/or signal processing would be a plus.
One research project involves work on biomolecular and knowledge networks. Specifically, we are looking at learning new knowledge (applicable to diseases) from large, interconnected biological datasets. This project involves developing inference framework from biomedical literature through cutting edge learning and inference techniques over Bayesian networks.
The other opportunity involves working on creating mobile apps that use a new genomic data standard we are developing.
Some features of this particular UROP include:
- Potential for a high-impact publication by the end of the UROP (previous students alums have won national awards and have been accepted to top graduate/medical programs including Harvard MD/PhD).
- Networking at Harvard Medical School community via lab meetings, journal club, seminars, etc.
- A self-contained project that can be done within a summer semester or two- but also has room for expansion for the ambitious student.
- Independence (can be a plus or minus- i.e. student must be highly motivated and put in the time to be successful).
- Flexible start/end dates Please note that this opportunity may be either for-credit, experience, or MIT-sponsored funding (Note: deadline is soon).
Contact: Please send a CV to Gil Alterovitz (gil@mit.edu) if you are interested.
4/16/13
Department/Lab/Center: Health Sciences & Technology (HST)
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Martha L. Bulyk
Project Title: Database of Protein-DNA Interactions
Project Description: Transcription factors regulate gene expression through DNA binding sites in the noncoding portions of the genome. Data on the DNA sequence preferences of these regulatory proteins is essential for developing an understanding of gene regulation. We are looking for an enthusiastic UROP student for Summer 2013 to assist in expanding and further developing our publicly available UniPROBE database of protein-DNA interactions. The project will involve deposition of new datasets into the existing database, and further development of the database and web-based tools. This project will provide significant exposure to molecular biology, gene regulation, and genomics.
This project is for a full-time UROP position (40 hours per week for at least 12 weeks of the Summer) for pay, with the potential to pursue this project further in the subsequent academic year.
Prerequisites: Introductory molecular biology (7.013 or equivalent) is required. Experience coding in PHP, familiarity with relational database software, strong familiarity with HTML and general website design principles, and excellent code management and annotation skills are all required. Experience with JavaScript and working with MySQL are recommended.
Lab location: off-campus (Longwood Medical Area. Commute time to the laboratory at the Harvard Medical School campus is ~12-15 minutes from MIT by bus.
Contact: Bulyk Lab website: http://the_brain.bwh.harvard.edu/. For more information about this UROP position, contact: Prof. Martha L. Bulyk (mlbulyk@receptor.med.harvard.edu). If interested, please send a CV listing your relevant coursework, GPA and research experience, and a cover letter stating your interests and background.
4/16/13
Department/Lab/Center: EECS
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Armando Solar-Lezama
Project Title: Next Generation Optically-Interconnected Parallel Computer Architectures and Parallel Programming Models In a Nutshell: Develop and evaluate a programming model for a novel multicore architecture.
Project Background: Computer system designers have pivoted from scaling performance by increasing processor frequency to scaling performance via parallelism. However, the challenge of designing parallel computer systems that exhibit high performance, low energy, and are straightforward to program is far from solved. Our project -- the ATAC Parallel computer system -- attacks this challenge by co-designing a novel computer architecture and programming model. The ATAC system consists of a 1,000 core mulitcore system in which the cores are connected using recently-invented on-chip optical waveguide technology. ATAC's novel waveguide enables efficient on-chip broadcast, which, in turn, enables a new class of programming models that will make it more tractable for all programmers to leverage the ATAC hardware for high performance.
Project Goal: To design a novel programming model for a new parallel computer system that achieves high performance and is straightforward to program.
Candidate Task: Help design and evaluate a new programming model through detailed architectural simulation of parallel applications.
Relevant Skills: Candidates must have a solid grasp
of both computer architecture and parallel programming at the undergraduate level (e.g., 6.004 and ideally 6.823). Candidates must be proficient in C++ and a dynamic language such as Python. Candidates would also ideally have some parallel programming experience (e.g., pthreads; OpenMP; MPI) or other experience with distributed systems.
Timeline: Position is available for Summer 2013.
Funding: Sponsored research funds are available to support this project
Contact: Interested students should contact James Psota (jim@csail.mit.edu). Include a resume, a list of relevant courses, and a few sentences about why you are a good fit for this position.
4/16/13
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Aeronautics and Astronautics
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Jon How
Project Title: Implementing an automated sensor calibration platform for quadrotors
Project Description: The Aerospace Controls Lab has been developing a custom autopilot over the past year. We are in need of an automated process for calibrating the sensors used on the autopilot. Specifically, we have a small rate table that was built by a previous UROP, but are in need of control and interface software for the the device. The project will involve writing microcontroller code to interface with the motors on the rate table and writing an interactive GUI for controlling the table from a PC. Ideally, the code will also automatically calibrate the sensors and send the calibrated values back to the autopilot.
The microcontroller code will be written in c. The higher level program ideally will be written in python or c++ so it can easily interface with the existing Robot Operating System infrastructure in the lab.
Prerequisites: Prior experience with robotics/electronics hardware, microcontrollers, and programming (C and Python)
Lab Webpage: http://acl.mit.edu/
Contact: Mark Cutler (email: cutlerm@mit.edu)
4/12/13
Summer 2013
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Urban Studies & Planning
Faculty Supervisor: Chris Zegras
Project Title: Smartphone Apps for Sustainable Mobility in the Global South
Project Description: Do you have skills and experience in smartphone app development and/or front-/back-end web development or related skills (such as developing digital maps with meta data)? Interested in bringing those skills to the cause of sustainable mobility in rapidly developing cities? Join a team examining various possibilities for leveraging crowdsource-based information to improve sustainable transportation modes by incorporating live and historical data being accumulated by users and determining the most effective ways to return the information digitally to them (e.g., phones, browsers). Project with a local partner is ongoing in Mexico City; UROP position will run from early June through the end of July (with some field visits possible) for those interested and able.
Contact: Kuan Butts kuanb@mit.edu
4/12/13
Department/Lab/Center: Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Rebecca Saxe
Project Title: Neural development of Theory of Mind in Typical and ASD children
Project Description: The Social Cognitive Neuroscience Lab (Saxelab) in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences is looking for a UROP student who is interested in social cognitive neuroscience, particularly in the development of brain regions involved in Theory of Mind, our ability to reason about other people's thoughts. The aim of this project is to characterize the functional development of brain regions involved in Theory of Mind in children with autism spectrum disorder and their typically developing controls. The student will work closely with a post-doctoral associate mentor to aid in various aspects of data analysis, both fMRI and behavioral data, and also occasionally help with data acquisition (e.g., scanning participants in the fMRI scanner).
Prerequisites: Fluency in MATLAB, programming experience, and quantitative skills will be important for this position. Previous lab experience in fMRI and coursework in related topics is desired. Priority will be given to those who wish to work for at least two semesters: summer 2013 and fall 2013. Working hours/compensation TBD.
Contact: If you are interested, please email Hyowon Gweon (hyora@mit.edu) with a brief introduction of yourself and description of your interests, CV, and a list of relevant courses taken. Please contact before April 14 (Sunday) if you are interested in applying for UROP funding opportunities.
4/12/13
Department/Lab/Center: Chemical Engineering
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Daniel Wang
Project Description: The project will be dealing with microbial desulfurization of crude oil and diesel. In particular, the goals of the project will be to:
Adapt a variety of microbial strains to degrade alkylated dibenzothiophene (DBT) compounds. Currently strains are available that can degrade DBT but not alkylated DBTs, which are prevalent in crude oil and diesel oil. Test the ability of the adapted strains to desulfurize the real sulfur containing materials, crude oil and diesel oil.
We would highly prefer students to have a biology or chemical engineering background. We also would like the students to have had previous lab experience in the area of microbiology, fermentations, cell culture or be familiar with aseptic lab work.
Contact: Please contact me, Andres Abin-Fuentes, at aabin@mit.edu with any questions regarding the project.
4/12/13
Department/Lab/Center: Health Sciences and Technology
Faculty Supervisor: Sangeeta Bhatia
Project Title: Engineering nanoparticles to improve disease diagnosis and treatment
Project Description: UROP opportunities are available in Dr. Sangeeta Bhatia’s laboratory under the guidance of post-doctoral fellow Dr. Gabe Kwong and HST graduate student Andrew Warren. We are broadly involved in a multidisciplinary effort to engineer nanomaterials that are designed to perform complex tasks in vivo such as home to disease microenvironments, sense changes in cells and tissues, and trigger the release of therapeutics or disease reporters. In particular, we are applying these principles in order to develop a new class of urinary diagnostics for early cancer detection, noninvasive monitoring of liver disease, and global health applications. There will be rich opportunities for UROPs to learn nanoparticle synthesis, bioconjugation techniques, cell culture, animal handling, fluorescence microscopy and data analysis. For more information, see http://lmrt.mit.edu/
Prerequisites: Successful applicants will have prior research experience and a strong interest in nanobiotechnology, biomedical engineering, and medicine. We expect the student to commit 15-20 hours per week, and students willing to commit 1+ year(s) will be preferred. A good work ethic, conscientiousness, and ability to work well with others in a dynamic laboratory environment are essential.
Contact: Interested applicants should send a cover letter, CV, and transcript (unofficial is ok) to Dr. Gabe Kwong (gakwong@mit.edu).
4/12/13
Department/Lab/Center: Research Laboratory of Electronics
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Vladan Vuletic
Project Title: Control Infrastructure Development for a Trapped Ion Quantum Computing Apparatus
Project Description: The goal of this project is to develop a versatile FPGA-based control infrastructure and a Graphical User Interface to operate and collect data for an experimental quantum computing apparatus involving trapped ions in vacuum. The student will learn about system integration and design of fast synchronous controls using standard FPGA-based technology. The controls will need to be interfaced and tested with existing apparatus, such as lasers, digital-to-analog converters, and data acquisition modules. In addition, the student will design a Visual C# based Graphical User Interface to dynamically update control parameters on the FPGA. These fast synchronous controls will be instrumental in performing quantum operations on trapped ion quantum bits.
Prerequisites: some experience with VHDL and object-oriented programming is essential
Contact: come by the office or email
Dorian Gangloff (gangloff@mit.edu) and Alexei Bylinskii (abyl@mit.edu)
26-225, Center for Ultracold Atoms, RLE
http://www.rle.mit.edu/eap/
4/12/13
Summer 2013
Department/Lab/Center: CSAIL
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Bonnie Berger
Project Title: Big Data Genomics: Compressive storage, mapping and retrieval of large-scale genomic sequence datasets.
Project Description: Genomic sequencing technologies are continuously improving to provide higher-throughput, cheaper, and more accurate sequencing capabilities to the biomedical community. As high-throughput sequencing technologies generate increasingly more data every year, the limitations of computing and storage resources are starting to become the bottleneck for genomic studies. Smarter solutions are required to allow the speed of data analysis and knowledge discovery to catch up with the speed of sequencing.
In order to keep pace with the growth of read data sets generated by high-throughput sequencing technologies, our lab is currently developing a novel framework involving a suite of tools for compressive representation and rapid downstream analysis of large-scale sequencing read datasets. This framework will be particularly useful for biomedical studies of large cohorts (e.g., genome sequencing datasets of thousands of individuals), which are extremely costly to computationally analyze using existing methods. Building this framework involves development of both innovative data structures for compressed read representation and novel algorithms for rapid read-mapping and knowledge extraction from these data structures.
Our lab seeks a highly motivated CS/Math student that will participate in developing and improving various algorithmic methods and tools that are part of our compressive genomics framework. Since the sequencing datasets being stored and processed by our compressive framework will be in the order of terabytes, it will be critical to design and implement methods that are disk/memory efficient, highly-parallelized and I/O-optimized.
Prerequisites:
- The candidate should have strong software development skills (preferably C/C++, alternatively Java) and be comfortable working/developing in UNIX.
- The candidate should also have a strong algorithms background as he/she will be designing advanced string processing algorithms and highly-efficient data-structures for handling TB-scale genomic sequencing datasets.
- We also expect the candidate to be interested in bioinformatics/computational biology, and be willing to learn biological background relevant to the project.
Contact:
- Please send your CV (including research interests and past research/software development experience) to denizy@mit.edu.
4/12/13
Department/Lab/Center: Center for Educational Computing Innovation
Faculty Supervisor: Kimberly DeLong
Project Title: NSF "CREATIV" project: Kreyòl-based Cyberlearning for STEM
Project Description: This project is helping transform Haitian education through the use of new technologies for teaching Science, Technology, Engineering & Math ("STEM"). It is funded by NSF as part of its Creative Research Awards for Transformative Interdisciplinary Ventures ("CREATIV"). Our goal is to create a set of Haitian Creole-based, technology-enabled active-learning resources for STEM higher education in order to help build a solid basis for faculty and curriculum development. This will strengthen education in Haiti by making science and math optimally accessible to the greatest numbers possible.
We are looking for students who speak Haitian Creole (aka "Kreyòl") to take an active part in this CREATIV project. Projects this summer include creation of a true dual language (Kreyòl/English) website. Working with faculty and course materials in both English and Kreyòl. Chunking of educational videos in Kreyòl for inclusion in course website materials.
Prerequisites: Students who speak Kreyòl . Candidates should have interest in working with a mixed team of international researchers, staff and undergraduate students as part of the larger effort. They need to be self-motivated, willing to learn new things, have good communication skills and be willing to help with multiple ongoing projects. We are looking for several summer UROP students with the opportunity to continue into next school year.
Contact: Kirky DeLong (kirky@mit.edu)
4/12/13
Summer 2013
Department: Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Rosalind Picard
Project Title: Long-term ambulatory health data analysis/develop web system to process/visualize health data
Project Description: The Affective Computing group, Media Lab is looking for UROP students who work on the following projects this summer.
-long-term ambulatory physiological and behavioral data analysis(statistical analysis and machine learning) to understand the health condition (mood, sleep, stress etc.)using wearable sensors or mobile phones (required skill: matlab)
-web system to process and visualize the data from the wearable sensor or mobile phone to motivate people to change/ improve their behaviors. (required skill: matlab and python)
The students must have experience in MATLAB/python and have interests in signal processing/data analysis/data visualization
and health/wellness research fields.
Experience in machine learning is plus.
Contact: If you are interested, please send an email
to Akane Sano at akanes@mit.edu with the following information:
-Subject line: “UROP – first name, last name – years in college
-Content: Please write a short description (<200 words) thatexplains why you are interested and which project you are interested in and summarizes your relevant experience.
-Attachment: CV/resume
4/5/13
School: Sloan School of Management
Project Supervisor: Aleksandra Kacperczyk
Project Title: Entrepreneurship in the Music Industry
Project Description: This project will collect data on entrepreneurship in the music industry. The goal of this project is to examine when artists create their own record labels and when, by contrast, they release their albums through established record labels. By creating a database of albums and singers/bands released between 1990s and 2000, we will be able to assess the processes underlying the choice to become an entrepreneur.
We are looking for the UROP student to help us develop and administer data collection, that is to collect data and manage the data. Additional tasks may involve producing summary stats and analyzing the collected data.
Prerequisites: General interest in social science research, data management and enthusiasm are an asset. Willingness to learn more about the music industry is welcome!
Contact: Please, email CV to olenka@mit.edu
4/5/13
Summer 2013
UROP Department: Biological Engineering
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Linda Griffith
Project Title: Creating a Mobile App for Diagnosis and Management of Endometriosis Patients
Project Description: Do you want to work with surgeons and epidemiologists in the US and Brazil to improve patient care?
We are looking for a developer to help create a web-based mobile app to be used by endometriosis patients and their surgeons. Endometriosis is a painful disease that affects about 10% of reproductive age women, with symptoms often appearing in teenage years. There are two parts to this application, which will be a cloud-based app available for iPhones, iPads and Androids. The first part will be available for the use of endometriosis patients. The app will allow them to record their symptoms and help them decide if a doctor or hospital visit is necessary or not. This will allow for the data collection of symptoms post-surgery as well as long-term. The second part of the application will be for the use of surgeons who are performing the surgeries on endometriosis patients. This will provide a way for the surgeons to enter data on the lesions that they are removing in a standard way so that patient outcomes can be compared across different surgical practices.
The team currently comprises two MIT faculty members (Professor Griffith and Professor Guttag), three surgeons (Dr. Keith Isaacson and Dr. Michelle Park, Harvard Medical School and Dr. Mauricio Abrão, Universtiy of São Paulo Medical School), an epidemiologist (Dr. Stacey Missmer, Harvard School of Public Health) and three MIT undergraduates with expertise related to the application. This project also offers an opportunity for interaction with the surgerical collaborator (Mauricio Abrão) in Brazil.
Prerequisites: Experience developing web-based applications.
Contact:
Primary contact: Prof. John Guttag (guttag@mit.edu)
Secondary contact: Prof. Linda Griffith (griff@mit.edu)
4/5/13
UROP Department: Simons Center for the Social Brain (SCSB)
Faculty Supervisor: Varies (see below)
Project Title: The Simons Center for the Social Brain (SCSB) will support several full-time UROPs during Summer 2013 for pay.
Project description: Undergraduate research topics may address any aspect of the social brain and its disorders, importantly including autism and related neurocognitive disorders. Topics may include but are not limited to: genes and genetic analyses; other risk factors; epidemiology; developmental time course; animal models; human stem cell models; human brain imaging; behavioral studies; mathematical modeling; biological and cognitive therapies; sensors and aids; and diagnosis and biomarkers.
Applications for summer 2013 Simons UROPs should include a brief proposal with a clear focus on the social brain and autism spectrum disorders, developed with a faculty mentor who will supervise your summer work.
If you have a faculty advisor in mind, please work together to develop a two to three page proposal which describes the context and scope of the project, a tentative work plan, your role in the UROP, and what you hope to get out of the experience, both academically and personally.
If you do not have a faculty advisor in mind, you can find potential advisors via the SCSB UROP Faculty website [http://mit.edu/scsb/uropfac.html] and contact them directly.
Please submit your proposal to the UROP office no later than 12 noon on Thursday, April 18. Should your project not be among those funded by the Simons Center, you will be automatically considered for Direct Funding through the UROP office.
Period: Summer 2013 (June 10 to Aug 20, 2013)
Simons Center UROPs are supported by the Simons Center for the Social Brain, the mission of which is to understand the neural mechanisms underlying social cognition and behavior, and to translate this knowledge into better diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The Simons Center seeks proposals from undergraduates interested in studying ASDs from a diversity of perspectives including life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics and engineering.
Contact: Eleana Ricci, ericci@mit.edu, 617-253-9340
4/5/13
Spring 2013
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Sloan School of Management
Faculty Supervisor: John Core
Project Title: Tracking CEOs and directors across time and firms
Project Description: The UROP will participate in a research project tracking CEOs and directors across time and firms.
The main responsibility is to write (perl?) code that reads director names and characteristics from pdf/text files, and then output these to a single file that is readable by SAS or Stata or Excel.
Hours: Total around 30 – 50; ideally project would be complete by May 1
Salary: $13 per hour negotiable with a performance bonus
Prerequisites: Highly motivated student with good programming skills. Demonstrated ability in harvesting data from text files. Looking for someone who can start immediately. Most of the work on the project can be done remotely.
Contact: John Core (jcore@mit.edu) with a brief description of your qualifications.
4/5/13
UROP Department: Brain and Cognitive Sciences (BCS)
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Matthew Wilson
Project Title: Manipulating attention with light
Project Description: Future neuroscientists excited to dissect the circuit-level mechanisms of attention and attentional disorders. Our lab records from and manipulates neural circuits using both electrophysiological (action potentials from many single neurons simultaneously) and optical techniques (rendering individual neurons light-sensitive to control their activity) to study the flow of information within and between brain regions during novel tasks. Our work has both basic appeal (attention, learning and memory) and is applicable to understanding and correcting attentional and learning disorders (ADHD, Alzheimer's disease, autism, schizophrenia and epilepsy).
We are interested in undergraduates who are responsible, motivated and have good communication skills. UROPs will be given the opportunity to work with animals (behavioral training), build neural implants, or perform data analysis (Matlab/Python). UROP's would obtain valuable skills for a future career in neuroscience.
Contact: Interested students should contact Michael Halassa, M.D., Ph.D. at mhalassa@mit.edu
4/5/12
Department/Lab/Center: Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Shuhei Ono
Project Title: Understanding the marine sulfur cycle: Sulfur isotope measurements from the Two Column Aerosol Project
Project Description: Sulfur dioxide and sulfate aerosol play an important but uncertain role in cloud formation and radiative forcing of the climate, and are also important for acid deposition and human health. The oxidation of SO2 to sulfate is a key reaction in determining the impact of sulfate in the environment, through its effect on aerosol size distribution and composition. Sulfur isotopes are able to act as a ‘fingerprint’, allowing us to trace the sources, sinks and chemistry of SO2 and sulfate.
Samples of SO2 and sulfate were taken as part of the Two Column Aerosol Project (TCAP, http://www.arm.gov/campaigns/amf2013waecf) in January and February, 2013. The UROP student will analyse the chemical composition and sulfur isotopic composition of these samples, and gain experience with a range of techniques including sulfate reduction, isotope ratio mass spectrometry and ion chromatography. The student will also have the opportunity to participate in the subsequent analysis, presentation and publication of the results.
Prerequisites: A background in chemistry, physics or environmental science is desired. The project involves laboratory wet chemistry, however no prior experience in the techniques used for this project is needed.
Time commitment: The project would start as soon as possible. Hours would be flexible, but the student would need to commit to at least 6 hours per week.
Contact: Please contact Dr. Eliza Harris (elizah@mit.edu) with your CV and a short description of your studies and your interest in this project.
3/29/13
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Architecture
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Mark Goulthorpe
Project Title: Thermoplastic Environmental Housing
Project Description: We are prototyping thin-skin thermoplastic (composite) housing, looking to prove-up a radical alternative to current building methodologies. The goal is to produce CNC fabricated non-standard housing that is essentially snap-together, but which attains very good resilience and energy performance whilst attaining an extremely benign environmental footprint. The target market is the massively burgeoning developing world housing stock, and we are looking to demonstrate that such technology might offer a low-cost and scalable alternative to current building methodologies whilst using far less labor and earth-surface resources. One project is to develop a rapidly deployable shelter for the US Army, but we will also be looking at solutions for civilian housing and even emergency relief housing.
There is an established team of industry and academic experts (in composites, fireproofing, environmental analysis, etc), so the UROP should allow good insight into an inter-disciplinary project as it looks to being proved-up through prototypes and pilot projects. The prototyping will center on Rhode Island, which is a center of excellence for composite fabrication internationally, so there will be good insight and learning into the remarkable and innovative composites industry.
The UROP will need good CAD modeling skills and aptitude to resolve geometrical and CNC fabrication problems, likely also to produce prototype parts via 3d printing: candidates could be architects, engineers, designers.
Contact: Expressions of interest with CV and explanation of aptitude to Prof Goulthorpe (architecture) mg_decoi@mit.edu
3/29/13
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Architecture
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Mark Goulthorpe
Project Title: HypoSurface Dynamic Interactive Media Technology
Project Description: Prof Goulthorpe is looking for help designing, building and testing prototype dynamic display systems using EtherCAT servos and electric actuators. The UROP consists of sourcing, assembling and testing all components needed to attain robust high-speed actuation of a large-scale display system (0.5m displacement at 3hz). There is a small 1m x 1m 16-actuator prototype already under test, and this will be altered and augmented as we refine the system in all respects. An earlier pneumatic system (http://www.hyposurface.org) serves to inform the new electric system, but we aim to surpass it in many respects, especially in the area of interactivity.
The UROP requires students with different aptitudes: one skilled in CAD modeling, especially Grasshopper, (to permit 3d printed component prototypes) and adept in basic mechanical and electrical assembly (since it will involve actual assembly of parts); the other good at programming and with ability to work in Linux and link smartphones, etc to the control computer to attain interactivity. For the former, students from mech eng, architecture, elec eng (and others) can apply; for the latter, students with computer science, math, robotic aptitude, etc would seem best suited.
There is an extended team of technical experts, and several leading industry partners, so the UROP will offer experience of an inter-disciplinary team developing a challenging new media system.
Contact:
Please send expressions of interest, with CV and description of aptitude, to mg_decoi@mit.edu
3/29/13
Summer 2013
UROP Department/Lab/Center: ESD/Systems Engineering Advancement Research Initiative (seari.mit.edu)
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Donna H. Rhodes
Project Title: Interactive Games as a Research Medium to Improve Engineering Systems Thinking
Project Description: Interactive games are becoming a primary mode of entertainment alongside more traditional media, and are increasingly being used for education and even basic research (see for example “Fold It,” the protein folding game). Use of games as research instruments for gaining insights into systems phenomena, including how people think about systems, is a new area of research. This project seeks to leverage the gaming medium in order to improve research into dynamic decision-making for complex engineering problems. The design and development of large engineering systems (such as aerospace, energy, or transportation systems) depends upon good decisions during design and operations, appropriately responding to changes in technologies, markets, and missions. In order to transcend cognitive limitations and facilitate the discovery of appropriate change strategies, the Systems Engineering Advancement Research Initiative (http://seari.mit.edu) is currently developing a interactive gaming simulations and data exploration environments. This year’s project will leverage a past summer project that resulted in a multi-player card-based game to develop a profitable satellite system. A summer UROP project with a team of students will develop an interactive software-based implementation of the card game, which will allow 1 to 4 players to “experience” alternative futures and the impact of changing contexts on system success over time. The game will be used not only for free play learning, but also as a research instrument to track and guide players as they learn systems thinking lessons through repeated play. Additional game-based opportunities may arise during the course of the summer. Multiple types of tasks needed for this project include software engineering, software development, user interface design, and informal user testing. The game may be used in experiments to validate dynamic insights learned by users.
Prerequisites: Familiarity with Microsoft Office, at least one programming language (C#, java, etc.), preferably with object-orientation. Previous summer projects were developed in Python, with some investigation of Unity and GameMaker. Commitment to the work, good analytic, and software engineering and/or programming skills are needed to participate in collaborative research. Candidates should have interest in working with a mixed team of research staff, graduate students, and undergraduate students as part of the larger effort. There are openings for two to four UROPs in this summer project. Rising juniors or seniors in course 6 preferred. Pay will be based on candidate’s skill set.
Project Director: Dr. Adam M. Ross
Period: Summer 2013 (June 10 to Aug 20, 2013)
Contact: Please send a resume to Dr. Adam M. Ross, adamross@mit.edu, and visit the SEAri website for lab information: seari.mit.edu.
3/29/13
Spring/Summer 2013
Department/Lab/Center: RLE
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Stefanie Shattuck-Hufnagel
Project Description: UROP position for remainder of spring term, with potential for continuation into the summer: Are you interested in speech and language? As part of the development of a speech analysis system based on the detection of acoustic landmarks in the speech signal, we seek 2-3 people to label these abrupt changes in the speech signal spectrum, which are both robustly detectable and highly informative about the speaker's intended words. Although we can train you for this task, some familiarity with sound waves, linguistic phonetics or signal analysis would be useful. Position requires 6-8 hours per week, and pays $10 per hour; you will learn how to use software for speech analysis and display, how acoustic parameters determine what you hear, and how words and their sounds vary in their acoustic shape in different contexts.
Contact: Dr. Stefanie Shattuck-Hufnagel, Speech Communication Group, sshuf@mit.edu.
3/29/13
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Chemical Engineering
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Klavs Jensen
Project Title: Design and testing of fluidic components
Project Description: We are developing small scale advanced liquid handling components to be used in aggressive environments and demanding conditions. Work will entail participating to the design and testing of the components in a dynamic and stimulating team.
The position can be for credit or competitive pay depending on skills.
Prerequisites: Solid works, general knowledge of fabrication methods and mechanical design. Original thinking and motivation.
Contact: For further information contact Dr. Andrea Adamo (aadamo@mit.edu) – Faculty supervisor Prof. Klavs Jensen (kfjensen@mit.edu)
3/29/13
UROP Department/Lab/Center: CSAIL
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Wojciech Matusik
Project Description: We are developing low cost and high-resolution 3D printer, which will have great impact on the future manufacturing. We have a very diverse team, mechanical engineer, electrical engineering, chemist, software engineer, etc. Under supervision, you will be involved in the formulation of UV curable ink for the 3D printer, testing the flow behavior of liquids (viscosity, surface tension), measuring the mechanical and thermal properties of polymers.
Requirements:
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Have knowledge in chemistry - preferable polymers
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Willing to deal with chemicals
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Organized, team player.
Contact: If you are interested, Please contact us at: wojciech@csail.mit.edu or wangws@mit.edu
3/22/13
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Biological Engineering
Faculty Supervisor: Linda Griffith
Project Description: view PDF
Contact: Linda Griffith (griff@mit.edu)
3/22/13
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Sloan School of Management and Center for Digital Business
Faculty Supervisor: Erik Brynjolfsson
Project Title: User Investment and the Value of Internet Companies
Project Description: The UROP will participate in a research project measuring the value of Internet companies based on a series of metrics. The UROP will work with post-doctoral associate Dr. JooHee Oh under the guidance of Prof. Erik Brynjolfsson.
Responsibilities include identifying the types of user-generated content (UGC) on the companies’ websites and estimating the total quantity. The UROP will create a variety of content types at various sites to measure how long it takes and to identify what special skills, if any, are needed.
Hours: 5-20/week (Flexible)
Salary: $13 per hour
Prerequisites: Highly motivated student who is willing to commit to doing research for the remainder of this spring term. Computer science major is a plus but not a requirement. No prior experience is required.
Contact: JooHee Oh (jooheeoh@mit.edu)
3/22/13
Department/Lab/Center: Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Tomaso Poggio
Project Title: To program a model of fly's visual tracking.
Project Description: We are looking for a UROP to program the simulated behavior of several artificial flies, interacting visually with each other. Each fly is described by a simple tracking system (Buelthoff, Poggio and Wehrhahn 1980; Wehrhahn, Poggio and Buelthoff 1982) which summarizes behavioral experiments in which individual real flies track and chase targets. The model for this behavior is suggested by M. Poggio and T. Poggio in their paper: Cooperative physics of fly swarms: an emergent behavior. A.I Memo No. 1512, C.B.C.L Paper No. 103 (1994). We expect the model to be programmed and hopefully also extend the simulation to 3D.
Prerequisites: Junior or senior with good programming skill who is interested in neuroscience.
Contact: Kathleen Sullivan, kdsulliv@mit.edu
URL: http://cbcl.mit.edu
3/22/13
Spring 2013
Department/Lab/Center: McGovern Institute Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Faculty Supervisor: Mehrdad Jazayeri
Project Title: Programmer working on C++ software for data acquisition
Project Description: We are looking for motivated undergraduate students with expertise in C++ programming to work on an existing data acquisition program for electrophysiological data.
This project is an excellent opportunity for skillful programmers who like to bring their knowledge of C++ programming to a real-world application in biological sciences. We will be using the program for recording neural activity in brain cells. The applicant will work closely with neuroscientists and will have the opportunity to be integrated into a serious project in neuroscience research.
Contact: If you are interested, please send an email to Prof. Mehrdad Jazayeri at mjaz@mit.edu with the following information:
Subject line: “UROP Programming – first name, last name – years in college
Content: Please write a short description (<200 words) that summarizes your relevant experience. Also, please include your availability to meet and the desired number of hours per week to work.
Attachment: CV/resume in PDF format
3/20/13
MIT Energy Initiative
Interested in pursuing a UROP focused on energy? The MIT Energy Initiative offers students the opportunity to apply for funding to pursue research in a wide-range of energy-related topics during Summer 2013. From materials science and engineering, to architecture, to electrical engineering and computer science, 29 students from across the academic landscape were selected this past summer to join our community of MITEI Energy UROP students.
The Energy UROP provides you the opportunity to:
- Join a community of students focused on a wide array of energy research topics for an in-depth summer research session
- Meet and discuss your work with leaders in the energy field
- Develop high-impact and focused presentation skills
Undergraduate research topics may address any aspect of energy systems and related environmental challenges, such as energy sources and supply (solar, wind, geothermal, nuclear, fossil fuel, etc); conversion, storage and distribution; technology and use (transportation, buildings, etc); policy; efficiency and demand-side management; and campus energy management.
Further information from selecting a research topic to identifying a potential faculty advisor, is located at the MITEI Energy UROP website. A full list of last summer's UROPs may also be found here.
Submit your proposal to Ethan Feuer, efeuer@mit.edu, no later than April 1st, 2013.
3/19/13
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Synthetic Neurobiology Group, McGovern Institute for Brain Research and the MIT Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Ed Boyden
Project Title: In Vivo Robotics For Understanding Brain Function
Project Description: UROP positions are available in the Synthetic Neurobiology Group at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research and the MIT Media Lab, working with post-doctoral fellow Dr. Annabelle Singer under the guidance of Dr. Ed Boyden. The UROP will participate in a cutting edge research program applying “in vivo robotics” to analyze single neural functions in awake behaving mice.
Initially the UROP will perform animal handling, behavioral training and assays, and behavior data analysis. As time permits, the UROP will perform other aspects of the project as well including surgery, histology, electrophysiology, and neural data analysis. UROPs also participate in lab meetings including presenting their research.
For more information about the lab see: http://www.syntheticneurobiology.org.
Prerequisites: Prior research experience, especially in biology or psychology, is a plus but not required. Qualified applicants must have an interest in neuroscience and a strong work ethic, be detail oriented, reliable, and work well with others. We require 15-20 hours/week during the semester and working full time over the summer with a minimum 1 year commitment, and highly suggest being open to a multi-year commitment as that can result in co-authorships and publications.
Contact: Interested applicants should send a cover letter, resume, and transcript (unofficial is ok) to Annabelle Singer, asinger@mit.edu and Ed Boyden, esb@media.mit.edu.
3/15/13
Spring and Summer 2013
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Pattie Maes
Project Title: Augmented Reality on transparent displays.
Project Description: The Fluid Interfaces Group at the MIT Media Lab has an opening for an electronics/computer-vision UROP. The project aims at pushing Augmented Reality to next level. We're building next-generation applications/form-factors using transparent OLEDs and do graphic and sensor augmentation on it.
Requirement: A committed, pro-active and hackerish intern that has a strong electronics/computer-vision engineering background.
Prerequisites: Should be adept at using environments such as Arduino, openFrameworks, Processing. Experience with hardware-hacking, computer-vision, graphics and design is a plus.
Contact: Anirudh Sharma (anirudhs@mit.edu). Please email a short description (<5 lines) that explains why you are interested in the project and summarizes your relevant experience. Also, please include your availability to meet and number of hours per week to work.
3/15/13
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Lincoln Labs
Project Title: Summer UROP at MIT Lincoln Laboratory-Image Search System
Project Description: The Active Optical Systems Group's mission is to be a laser radar center of excellence through the development of advanced laser radar concepts. The group is currently involved in the development and operation of airborne and ground-based 3D laser radars along with data collection, data exploitation, and simulation and modeling efforts for various applications. The group also has significant efforts in the area of coherent laser radar.
Over the past two decades, the capability to collect and store digital images has vastly outpaced the electronic capability to browse large archives intelligently. Recently, MIT Lincoln Laboratory researchers working on this problem, have prototyped an Image Search System that computes and visualizes global structures within large image archives and allows individual picture drill-down for tens of thousands of images. The system builds upon computer vision advances made over the past decade in low-level feature matching, large data handling and object recognition. Its front-end includes a web browser thin client and graph viewer thick client whose states remain synchronized. Its back-end server is based upon a database that stores imagery metadata, attributes and topological relationships. Combined thin and thick client manipulation provides a practical means for gaining comprehensive insight into large image collections. The system appears promising for end-user applications where timely discovery and display of associated images from a rapidly growing collection of images is desired.
The group seeks a summer UROPer who will work to extend and apply this Image Search System to thousands of digital images being collected around Tidmarsh Farms, a 577-acre property in Plymouth, MA. The UROPer will need to become familiar with multiple algorithms developed for the system and bundle them into a package that is easy to migrate to different machines. The UROPer will be responsible for loading the large and growing collection of images into the system and exploring ways in which the system might help select and arrange images based on temporal cycles and geographic position. The UROPer will work to prototype a mobile application, one that provides a visitor access to associated images of the landscape as they walk the property and that invites them to submit new images into the system.
The ideal candidate should be a Junior or Senior pursuing a BS degree at MIT. The candidate must be comfortable with computer systems in general and Linux in particular. Programming proficiency in at least some of the following computer languages is also necessary: C++, Java, HTML, Javascript and Python. The UROPer will develop a stand- alone instance of the Image Search System for use by researchers at the MIT Media Lab and Living Observatory, a center for documentation and interpretation, that will monitor the changing ecology of the 250-acre Tidmarsh Farms/Beaver Dam Brook wetland restoration site over the coming 20 years. The work will primarily be conducted at Lincoln Laboratory.
To apply, please submit your resume to http://www.ll.mit.edu/college/oncampus.html by adhering to the following procedure:
1. The search window will appear. In the Enter Keywords field, type Summer and click Search
2. The answer set will appear. Select Requisition Number 4241
3. A new screen will appear. Click Create Profile (top right) and submit your information
MIT Lincoln Laboratory’s fundamental mission is to apply science and advanced technology to critical problems of national security. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we are committed to realizing our vision of diversity and inclusion in every aspect of our enterprise. Due to the unique nature of our work, we require U.S. citizenship.
Contact: Gary Hackett (hackett@ll.mit.edu)
3/12/13
UROP Department/Lab/Center: MIT Department of Biology, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
Faculty Supervisor: Aviv Regev
Project Title: Functional interpretation of genomes using biological networks
Project Description: The rapid improvements in our ability to interrogate genomes for variation associated with diseases, has lead to an explosion in genomic data. Systematically assigning function to variants in these large datasets, and understanding how variation in different genes converge on functional molecular networks, remains a major challenge. This limits our progress towards biological insight and therapeutic intervention. The specific goal of this UROP project is to participate in a team that develops large-scale computational methods to functionally interpret genomic data using biological networks (i.e., networks in which genes are connected if they are functionally associated in some experimental system). A dozen biological networks exist in the public domain that have been generated by weaving together data from tens of thousands of experiments and the student will make quantitative comparisons of these networks. Moreover, he/she will incorporate these networks into a computational pipeline being built at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard for genome interpretation. The student will also be involved in testing the pipeline and running analyses on new genomic datasets. A pilot version of the pipeline is already being used widely in the genomics community and the student will have the opportunity to interact with computer scientists, computational biologists, software developers and researchers in areas such as cancer and psychiatric disorders where the pipeline is being implemented. The student is expected to continue into the summer after the spring semester, and the project can lead to scientific publications.
The project will be mainly supervised by Kasper Lage (Instructor, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School); and co-supervised by Jill Mesirov (Chief Informatics Officer, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Professor of Bioinformatics Boston University); and Aviv Regev (Director, Klarman Cell Observatory, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Associate Professor of Biology, MIT).
Prerequisites:
- Highly motivated student in computer science, bioinformatics, computational biology or the likes.
- An interest in the genetics of common disorders and cancers.
- Strong computational skills in R, Perl, C++, Python or Java.
- The ability to work in cross-disciplinary teams.
- Knowledge about biology and genetics is a plus, but not a must.
Contact: Please send your application to lage.kasper@mgh.harvard.edu. The application should contain a CV, your availability schedule, and a brief paragraph on your interests and expectation of the project.
3/12/13
Department/Lab/Center: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Faculty Supervisor: Joseph Sussman
Project Title: Passenger Rail Productivity in the Northeast Corridor of the US
Project Description: Our research group is looking for a motivated undergraduate to assist in the analysis of Amtrak’s high-speed rail service in the Northeast Corridor of the US. The UROPer is expected to work on data gathering, crunching and visualization of the Acela and Northeast Regional services. This would require communication with senior Amtrak officials, thus providing networking opportunities in the real world on top of the data analysis application.
Terms: For credit, 8-12 h per week until the end of the semester. Start date IMMEDIATELY
Prerequisites: Good computer skills, good communication skills
Contact: Joseph Sussman (sussman@mit.edu) and Andrés F Archila, Candidate (archila@mit.edu)
3/12/13
Department/Lab/Center: Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Faculty Supervisor: Mehrdad Jazayeri
Project Title: Design and implementation of hardware and software for electrophysiological recordings in animal models
Project Description: This opening is for developing an integrated hardware and software data acquisition system for electrophysiolgical data. The system is based on an existing state-of-the-art interface with built-in amplifiers and A/D modules made by Intan Technologies (http://www.intantech.com/products_RHD2000.html). This existing interface comes with an open source USB and FPGA interface to stream data to a computer. We are looking for self-motivated undergraduate students with expertise in circuit design and C++ programming who can extend the existing interface with the hardware and firmware needed to take advantage of the FPGA interface and create a versatile user-friendly data acquisition system. This project is multifaceted and, if needed, we would like to create a team of undergrads to develop the system. The interested applicants should take a thorough look at the Intan website and make sure that they have the necessary skills to build around the FPGA interface.
Contact: If you are interested, please send an email to Prof. Mehrdad Jazayeri at mjaz@mit.edu with the following information:
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Subject line: UROP Data acquisition first name, last name years in college
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Content: Please write a short description (<200 words) that explains why you are interested and summarizes your relevant experience.
-Also, please include your availability to meet and the desired number of hours per week to work. -Attachment: CV/resume in PDF format
3/12/13
Department/Lab/Center: Photonics and Modern Electro-Magnetics Group
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Marin Soljacic
Project Description: We are interested in how nanoscale metamaterials at different temperatures interact with one another and with light. More specifically, we would like to explore various excitations that exist on the surfaces of such materials and their behavior when two objects are placed in extreme proximity of one another.
Interested undergraduate researchers would join us in the lab and help with the ongoing experiment.
Requirements: Available for summer 2013. Previous lab experience is desirable but not required. This position is geared towards course 2/6/8 majors, but other students are welcome to get in touch.
Contact: Ognjen Ilic (ilico@mit.edu), with a short CV [include classes taken, GPA, and >=2 references.]
3/12/13
Department: Chemical Engineering
Faculty Supervisor: Yuriy Roman
Project Title: Inexpensive Ceramic Nanoparticles to Replace Platinum Catalysts in Direct Alcohol Fuel Cells
Project Description: Platinum is widely touted for use as a catalyst in fuel cells and water electrolyzers, but its cost and global scarcity make it unsustainable for use in a global renewable energy marketplace. We are seeking a highly motivated student to develop a synthetic method for producing inexpensive ceramic nanoparticles from earth-abundant materials to replace platinum. The student will work independently and learn broadly applicable colloidal synthesis techniques for nanoparticle and catalyst fabrication and have opportunities to test the catalysts using electrochemical characterization techniques as well as high temperature thermal reforming reactors. Material characterization techniques will include transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and x-ray diffraction. There will also be opportunities for computational modeling using density functional theory.
Pre-requisites: Ideally the student will be a sophomore or junior and have a chemical engineering, chemistry, or materials science background. No prior experience is required.
Contact: Yuriy Roman (yroman@MIT.EDU)
3/7/13
Department/Lab/Center: Sloan School of Management
Faculty Supervisor: Pai-Ling Yin
Project Title: Management of mobile platform developer survey
Project Description: This project will survey Apple & Google mobile applications developers to analyze determinants of entrepreneurship. We are looking for a research assistant to manage this survey IMMEDIATELY (with opportunity to continue into the summer). Responsibilities include administering Amazon Mechanical Turk survey, sending out emails, managing follow up to survey responses, and responding to queries. Upon completion, responsibilities will include analysis of the survey results. Wage can be increased to $15/hr with satisfactory performance.
Hours: 10-20/week
Salary: $13 per hour
Contact: Pai-Ling Yin (pyin@mit.edu)
3/7/13
Department/Lab/Center: Engineering Systems Division
Faculty Supervisor: Noelle Selin
Project Title: Evaluating the Impacts of Changing Global Emissions and Climate on the Distribution of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) with the GEOS-Chem Chemical Transport Model
Project Description: We are developing the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model (http://acmg.seas.harvard.edu/geos/) to investigate the global transport of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). POPs are toxic compounds that can travel long distances in the atmosphere and potentially cause health effects far from their sources. POPs have been found in high concentrations in the Arctic and other remote regions where their production and use is limited. The student will be working closely with postdoc Carey Friedman and ESD/EAPS Professor Noelle Selin on several tasks: compiling and organizing environmental POP measurements from various measurement networks and individual studies; comparing model results to environmental POP measurements; literature review surrounding previous POP models and parameterizations. The student would be expected to be available from March to early May 2013.
Prerequisites: An interest in the behavior of toxic environmental pollutants and/or environmental chemistry, and proficiency in MS Excel. Experience with or an interest in learning Fortran and/or IDL is a plus.
Contact: Carey Friedman (clf@mit.edu) and Noelle Selin (selin@mit.edu) and include resume/CV.
3/7/13
Department/Lab/Center: McGovern Institute Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Faculty Supervisor: Mehrdad Jazayeri
Project Title: Neural basis of sensorimotor integration and coordination
Project Description: To generate flexible thoughts and actions, brain circuits must be be able to continuously integrate internal and external cues and coordinate them with ongoing mental states. The Jazayeri lab studies the mechanisms of sensorimotor integration and coordination across scales, from behavior to neural circuits to activity patterns in individual neurons. The primary methods used in the laboratory are neurophysiology and optogenetics in awake, behaving animals, behavioral studies in humans and computational modeling. The lab typically has open UROP projects that involve a range of topics, including human testing, help with animal experiments, computational modeling, and design and construction of novel hardware/software.
Contact: Prof. Mehrdad Jazayeri 46-5127C, x5-5418, mjaz@mit.edu
3/7/13
Department/Lab/Center: McGovern Institute Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Faculty Supervisor: Mehrdad Jazayeri
Project Title: Design and implementation of hardware and software for electrophysiological recordings in animal models
Project Description: This opening is for developing an integrated hardware and software data acquisition system for electrophysiolgical data. The system is based on an existing state-of-the-art interface with built-in amplifiers and A/D modules made by Intan Technologies (http://www.intantech.com/products_RHD2000.html). This existing interface comes with an open source USB and FPGA interface to stream data to a computer.
We are looking for self-motivated undergraduate students with expertise in circuit design and C++ programming who can extend the existing interface with the hardware and firmware needed to take advantage of the FPGA interface and create a versatile user-friendly data acquisition system.
This project is multifaceted and, if needed, we would like to create a team of undergrads to develop the system. The interested applicants should take a thorough look at the Intan website and make sure that they have the necessary skills to build around the FPGA interface.
Contact: If you are interested, please send an email to Prof. Mehrdad Jazayeri at mjaz@mit.edu with the following information:
Subject line: “UROP Data acquisition – first name, last name – years in college
Short description: (<200 words) that explains why you are interested and summarizes your relevant experience. Also, please include your availability to meet and the desired number of hours per week to work.
Attachment: CV/resume in PDF format
3/7/13
Department/Lab/Center: Chemical Engineering
Faculty Supervisor: Hadley Sikes
Project title: Creating and characterizing novel enzymes to generate ROS in a controlled fashion
Project description: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved in a variety of vital physiological processes, including cell signaling pathways, respiratory bursts in the immune response, cell proliferation and apoptosis, and inflammation. Current methodologies for studying ROS are limited in a number of ways. With most methods, the amount and type of ROS produced cannot be controlled; moreover, ROS are generated extracellularly, making it difficult to quantify intracellular levels of ROS.
We are currently generating and characterizing mutant enzymes as a new methodology for producing and studying ROS. These mutants can be used to tune the type and amount of ROS produced in human cell lines of interest.
This project will involve assays to assess how well each individual mutant performs as an ROS-generating agent and additional experiments to investigate the physical mechanism underlying each mutant’s performance. Basic molecular biology, including protein expression and bacterial cell culture, will also be performed. The project may also involve molecular cloning to generate additional mutants via a directed evolution approach.
Prerequisites: Previous laboratory experience (lab or course) and strong backgrounds in biology and biochemistry are all pluses but certainly not required. Strong preference for students who can commit to at least 10 hours per week for at least two semesters, starting as soon as possible. Open to work in the summer.
Contact: Please send an email to jblim@mit.edu if interested with a CV/resume, any references, a short description of why you might be a good fit for this project, and schedule availability and potential start date.
3/4/13
Department/Lab/Center: School of Architecture and Planning
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Terry Knight
Project Title: Reversible Shape Changing Textiles for an Architectural Screen in the Workplace
Project Description: There are many ways to transform the shape of a textile structure; some of these include embedding the actuator as a material into the geometry of the fabric structure or applying the actuator to the fabric. We have completed several experiments changing the shape of a textile in small samples but not at the scale of a wall or screen. The problem that we will be looking at this summer is how to actuate a fairly large scale area of textile for use in the workplace. There are 4 steps to this project. The first is to look at the previous experiments, to determine the best way to scale up the prototype. The second step is to develop a new prototype at double the size of our preliminary prototypes to see the power requirements and other changes that will be required at full scale. (There may be a branching here in steps depending upon how the actuation behaves at this point.) It may be necessary to develop other alternatives. The third step is to program and test out response using Android phone app. Lastly is to fabricate and test the full scale screen.
The project will require 40hrs/week for 10 weeks during the summer session 2013.
Prerequisites: Familiarity with textiles that integrate conductive materials. Programming for Arduino. Programming for Android. Sewing, knitting or other soft fabrication techniques helpful.
Contact: Felecia Davis fad@mit.edu, Design and Computation Group
3/4/13
Department/Lab/Center: Sloan School of Management
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Damon Centola
Project Title: Online Experimental Lab
Project Description: How can we use the Web to study social networks and changes in collective behavior? Dr. Centola has pioneered the field of online studies of social behavior and is running a series of new social “experiments” on financial behavior, social learning, and social dynamics. If you are interested working as an assistant on these experiments – testing the experimental environment, setting up online sessions, and potentially helping to analyze some of the data.
Students with a background in web development, programming, and network science will be given priority, but any interested student should apply.
Contact: Dr. Centola (dcentola@mit.edu). Positions are open now through the end of the Spring term.
3/4/13
Department/Lab/Center: Biology
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Timothy Lu
Project Title: Synthetic viruses to combat antibiotic-resistance infections
Project description: Undergraduate research training opportunities exist in the laboratory of Timothy Lu at the Synthetic Biology Center. The Lu lab is a very dynamic and interdisciplinary group which tackles a wide range of topics and therefore presents a particularly stimulating environment for dedicated researchers.
The projects involve using recent molecular biology and synthetic biology techniques to construct synthetic bacteriophages with altered properties and then characterize their behavior with respect to predictions.
We are looking for highly motivated success driven individuals and expect a commitment of no less than 15 hrs a week (more being better) for a longitudinal period that should include the summer. Candidates are expected to have a thorough understanding of biological concepts (transcription, translation, genetic regulation) and education in microbiology. Knowledge in genetic engineering and the associated techniques would be a plus. Previous lab experience in the field of microbiology, molecular biology and/or genetics will be highly useful (PCR, yeast and bacterial transformation, DNA extraction and analysis…).
Contact: Positions are open now and anyone meeting the above criteria is encouraged to apply by contacting Sebastien Lemire (sele@mit.edu) and/or Timothy Lu (timlu@mit.edu) with a resume and a statement of interest.
2/27/13
Department/Lab/Center: Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Maria Zuber
Project Title: In-Situ Sequencing for Life detection on Earth, Mars, and Beyond
Project Description: Sequencing of life’s basic building blocks, RNA and DNA, has undergone a revolution over the last decade, with the $1000 human genome now in sight. Nucleic acid sequencing technologies are now becoming small enough to enable their use in aerospace and ocean applications such as: searching for life on Mars, mapping the global diversity and transport of life using unmanned aerial/underwater vehicles (UAVs/UUVs), or diagnosing astronauts during long duration space missions. We are building a miniature low-power DNA/RNA sequencer for these applications; remaining challenges focus on sample acquisition and preparation. We are currently gearing up to test prototypes at Volcán Copahue, an active volcano with acid hot springs in Argentina, and will eventually test the instrument in a variety of analog environments such as Chile’s Atacama Desert and the Antarctic Dry Valleys. Potential projects include:
1. Help develop a field-portable instrument based on a new way to isolate nucleic acids, called SCODA, which simulates rotating electric fields to isolate long charged polymers like DNA/RNA and reject contaminants. Test it using Mars-like soils and in the field. Prereqs: mechanical, thermal, electrical design experience desirable.
2. Test other sample prep approaches using Mars analog soils to characterize their efficacy for use in our prototype instrument for Mars, called the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Genomes. Prereqs: Some biology bench experience recommended.
3. Plan for and participate in our field study at Volcán Copahue by creating Google Earth/GIS models of our field site(s), testing field procedures, and visiting an active volcano with acid hot springs in January 2014. Prereqs: Prior field and biology experience and interest in educational outreach a plus. Commitment through Spring 2014 required.
4. Develop a cartridge that integrates several steps in sample preparation for our Mars instrument prototype. Relevant experience: mechanical, thermal, electrical design.
5. Build and test an electrostatic sampler, based on an existing design, suitable for collecting bioaerosols onboard a UAV.
6. Help develop the theoretical basis and experimental capability to sequence other nucleic acids such as TNA or GNA, possible precursors and alternatives to RNA or DNA that life elsewhere (e.g. Mars, Europa, Enceladus) might use. Prereqs: Interest in astrobiology, physics, nanoscale modeling.
Prerequisites: Biology background desirable but not required. See project descriptions above for specifics.
Time Commitment: 8-10 hours per week, including at least two sessions/week at the lab, based one T-stop from MIT at the Massachusetts General Hospital (185 Cambridge St, Boston MA 02114).
Contact: Christopher Carr (chrisc@mit.edu), 617-253-0786
2/25/13
Department/Lab/Center: Industrial Performance Center (IPC)
Faculty
Supervisor: Elisabeth Reynolds
Project Title: Developing a Regional Innovation Ecosystem: Emerging Products and Technologies in Biomanufacturing
Project Description: As part of its agenda on regional innovation, MIT’s Industrial Performance Center (IPC) is working with the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center to understand how to deepen and advance the biomanufacturing industry in the New England region. This research project will focus in particular on new, emerging technologies and products and involve determining the assets within the region that are positioned to help drive innovation in the region. Specifically, the project will focus on cell therapies and regenerative medicines and models for promoting the scale up and commercialization of these therapies.
Biomanufacturing, specifically of large molecules, is one of the most complex types of manufacturing that exists. It is this complexity that rooted the industry in the U.S. two decades ago and today plays to the country’s competitive advantages – a technologically advanced, innovative industry that requires highly skilled workers with commensurately high pay. For all of these reasons, the U.S., and specifically New England, has been a global leader in this industry. However, currently this preeminence is being challenged by global competition and the region must find ways to maintain its innovative edge to remain competitive.
The UROP student will research trends and developments in the biotech and biomanufacturing fields related to emerging products and technologies, specifically cell therapies and regenerative medicines and will help develop a strategy for the region for furthering the scale up and commercialization of these therapies. Research will involve web-based research, analysis of secondary material, and speaking with experts to research international models of cell therapy research centers and what Massachusetts can learn from them. The UROP will also interview firm executives, industry leaders and university researchers about their work in this area and the gaps and opportunities that exist for strengthening the industry in the region. Dr. Elisabeth Reynolds, Executive Director of the IPC, will oversee the day-to-day work of the student.
Pre-Requisites:
· Some coursework completed in biology, chemistry or chemical engineering related fields
· Strong library and web-based research skills, including e-journals and databases
· Strong writing and analytic skills
· Dependability: ability to plan work, meet deadlines, and troubleshoot.
· Solid communication skills, both listening and communicating
Available as a part-time spring research opportunity for pay.
Load: 10-20 hours per week for spring months beginning in March
Contact: Elisabeth B. Reynolds (lbr@mit.edu)
2/25/13
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Rosalind Picard
Project Title: Web 2.0 for Mental Health
Project Description: This spring, the Media Lab is looking for a graphic designer to help design a crowdsourced web/mobile application for mental health.
Prerequisites: Experience with Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator. Experience with jquery, html/css, and wireframing/mockup software is preferred, though not required. Ideal candidates should be creative, self-motivated, and should have strong communication skills.
Contact: Please contact Rob Morris (rmorris@media.mit.edu) if you have any questions about this position, or if you would like to set up an interview.
2/25/13
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Institute for Soldier Nanotechnology (ISN)
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Alexander-Katz
Project Title: Rapid Reconstitution and MEMS-based drug delivery
Project Description: We are developing controlled-release and drug delivery platforms. We are in the final design steps and testing of a rapid reconstitution package that can both store and deliver lyophilized drugs under emergency or ambulatory conditions. A device that can hasten the reconstitution of lyophilized drugs would combine the rapid deployment and delivery of a drug in aqueous solution without sacrificing the stability and shelf-life of lyophilized drugs.
We are also developing microelectromechanical system-based (MEMS) platforms for use in drug delivery. MEMS technology allows us to control the pharmacokinetics of a drug or the conditions in which drugs are released at the nano-scale. However, two problems exist with MEMS-based drug delivery: biocompatibility and power source. Utilizing different biological, mechanical, and material properties, we hope to address those issues.
We are looking for motivated, driven UROP students to join the team and do in vitro testing on our devices as well as assist in design aspects. Assays that will be run include TGA (thermogravimetric analysis), DSC (differential scanning calorimeter), immunoassays (i.e. ELISA), HPLC, and diffusion-studies. Lab experience is desirable, but so is a genuine enthusiasm to gain experience in wet-lab. We ask for a minimum commitment of 15-20 hours per week.
We have openings for three positions. Students with backgrounds in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Biology, Biological Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science and Electrical Engineering are encouraged to apply. If you have passion for engineering and applied research, please contact us:
Contact: Noel Elman, PhD (nelman@mit.edu)
2/22/13
UROP Department/Lab/Center: RLE
Faculty Supervisor: Stefanie Shattuck-Hufnagel
Project Title: Rhythm in speech and music.
Project Description: The ability to find the beat in a stream of auditory events varies from one person to another and from one circumstance to another. This UROP involves an experiment which tests listeners' ability to entrain to a simple auditory stimulus, i.e. a series of clicks, which will eventually lead to similar experiments related to speech and music. We prefer an applicant who has some familiarity with recording sound and an interest in rhythm perception; responsibilities include recruiting participants, running the experiment, analysing results and potentially helping to write up the work for publication. Requires a commitment of 6-10 hours per week (at $10 per hour) during the term; there is some possibility this could be extended to a half-time summer position.
Spring UROP with summer possibilities
Contact: Dr. Stefanie Shattuck-Hufnagel, Speech Communication Group, sshuf@mit.edu.
2/22/13
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Kent Larson
Project Title: SeedPod
Project Description: SeedPod is an interactive farming system that assists everyday people in reliably producing healthy food in urban areas. SeedPod is a scalable, modular system augmented by technology such as monitoring sensors, networked components, and smart mobile applications to facilitate ease and a deeper understanding of the process through which aeroponic vegetables are grown.
After developing a successful version 1.0 of this prototype that was tested with the Boston Public School System in the Spring 2012, we are continuing work on version 2.0 with building and user testing. This is an exciting opportunity to be a part of a project that will be prototyped and then tested! It is a hands-on project, with a great group of energetic people working towards this cause.
We are looking for a student with the following abilities/interests:
Mobile Application Development for Android Platform
A large portion of the application has already been created, but we will need to make improvements and revisions through the course of the semester based on user testing. We may also try to deploy on iPhone platform, so experience in iPhone application development is also a plus.
Contact: Jennifer Broutin: jbroutin@media.mit.edu and include a weblink or .pdf to resume and applicable projects.
2/22/13
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Architecture
Faculty Supervisor: Professor Larry Sass
Project Title: Crowd Sourcing for BIM modeling
Project Description: Building Information Modeling (BIM) is increasingly becoming a crucial methodology for information sharing in design and construction processes. This research project aims to enhance collaboration in the building industry by complementing BIM with a real-time information modeling component. This component will receive input from the built environment, such as data from crowd sourcing and crowd sensing applications, GIS data, and demographics data. The received data will be coupled with elements in the BIM model and visualized in an eloquent manner. The student(s) that work on this project will build a simple building model in Revit, and then work on the visual interface and interaction design of the integrated information component, using sketches, storyboards, and visual graphics software. The student will learn about information modeling, and interface and interaction design.
Contact: Please send your application to lsass@mit.edu Should include your resume in pdf format, your available schedule and a brief explanation of your interest and expectation.
2/22/13
Spring 2013
Department/Lab: MIT Sea Grant Program
Faculty Supervisor: Chrys Chryssostomidis
Project Title: Smartphone app development for ocean education
Project Description: We are developing an ocean and climate change-themed scavenger hunt app to engage and educate people of all ages about marine and climate issues. We are looking for a student to assist with an analysis of existing, similar apps (both educational and commercial) to identify features which contribute to their success or failure in the marketplace, and to use this analysis to propose one or more structures or storyboards for the app.
Requirements: Enthusiasm and some knowledge of marine biology is required; experience with educational psychology, app design and development or user experience would be a plus, but is not necessary.
Contact: Julie Simpson, simpsonj@mit.edu with a CV and information about your interest and any relevant experience.
2/22/13
Department/Lab: Comparative Media Studies
Faculty Supervisor: Kurt Fendt
Project Title: Visualize Historical Theater Data
Project Description: Work with a group of theater historians, graduate students and developers to help build innovative data visualizations based on the daily ticket sales of the French king‘s theater troupe from 1680-1793. You will have the opportunity to participate in the entire process of building interactive visualizations from raw data to functional interfaces within the course of one semester. The goal is to provide simple, functional, beautiful, and intuitive interfaces to data that can be used by scholars and students alike. These datasets are especially interesting for those who would like to work with quantitative datasets in a humanities context. You will work closely with the project team to make functional prototypes and contribute ideas to the larger project.
This is a credit or paid UROP for the Spring and possibly the Summer of 2013.
HyperStudio is the Digital Humanities Lab at MIT. We explore the potential of new media technologies for the enhancement of education and research in the humanities. http://hyperstudio.mit.edu
Requirements: Familiarity with JavaScript to work with libraries such as jQuery, D3, and other data driven web based visualization tools. Knowledge of basic data parsing and filtering, including JSON data feeds a plus. Please list you computing skills in your application.
Contact: Please send your application to hyperstudio@mit.edu
2/22/13
Department: Chemical Engineering
Prof. Allan S. Myerson
Project title: Development of Continuous Pharmaceutical Crystallization Methodologies
Project description: The project is part of the Novartis-MIT Centre for continuous processing and is focused on the development of new continuous crystallization and isolation technologies. Over 90% of small molecule drugs utilize crystallization in order purify and separate active pharmaceutical ingredients. As such the development of robust methodologies that can operate at pharmaceutical scales of production are vital to facilitate the introduction of continuous processing into the industry. The project will mainly involve the development and testing of prototype devices and will also allow the successful application to learn how to use many of the state of the art analytical techniques used today in pharmaceuticals.
Requirements:
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Motivated chemical engineering/chemistry student.
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Student should be committed and interested in research.
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Basic Lab Skills preferred.
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Available Monday & Tuesday Afternoon
The position can be for credit or competitive pay depending on skills.
Contact: Dr. Steven Ferguson (sfergus@mit.edu)
2/19/13
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Chemical Engineering
Faculty Supervisor: Professor T. Alan Hatton
Project Description: The undergraduate researcher will be working on the development of novel sorbents for CO2 capture. The project involves synthesis and characterization including the use of Thermal Gravimetric Analyzer (TGA), Viscometer, Potentiostat…etc. The researcher will work closely with a post-doc setting up and running a bench scale test unit for screening purposes. Some data analysis will be needed.
Prerequisite classes: thermodynamics, reaction engineering and separations. Hands-on chemistry lab experience is preferred; can be in a class setting. Basic understanding of electrochemistry is a plus.
Contact: Please send your application to bgurkan@mit.edu. Should include your resume in pdf format, your available schedule and a brief explanation of your interest and expectation.
2/19/13
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Sloan School of Management
Faculty Supervisor: Prof Charles Fine
Project description: As part of MIT’s new Tata Center for Technology and Design (http://mitei.mit.edu/research/tata-center-fund), this research project focuses on understanding whether ICT (Information and Communications Technology) can increase profitability for rural artisans by providing a bi-directional information and feedback flow between them and global markets (retailers, consumers) to enable demand-driven production instead of the existing supply-driven approach.
As part of our research to provide market linkages to artisans in emerging markets, we are creating an internet-based platform. The platform that will be designed is a design tool for the customization of traditional handicrafts made by rural artisans in developing countries. The tool will be web based similar to mockup tools such as mock flow. The attributes and designs that can be customized will be defined by the artisans. The platform will also incorporate a simple project management feature similar to base camp. The design, flow and wireframes will be defined and given to the student for implementation.
Prerequisites: The candidate is expected to have knowledge in EITHER ONE of the following:
1. Drupal (PHP) based CMS with extensions for e-commerce which include creating online stores with catalogs and shopping carts. (http://drupal.org/start)
Skills required: Programming, Linux, MYSQL, PHP, HTML & JAVA Script.
2. Ruby on Rails : http://rubyonrails.org/
Skills required: Ruby,Linux, MYSQL,HTML & JavaScript
In addition, knowledge of deployment on Amazon EC2 would be a plus.
Contact: Charles Fine (charley@mit.edu) and Sriram Emani (esriram@mit.edu)
2/19/13
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Mechanical Engineering, Bioinstrumentation Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Ian Hunter
Project Title: Needle-free injection of powdered drugs
Project Description: Vaccination is one of the most cost-effective measures of addressing preventable diseases on the global scale, saving an estimated 2-3 million infants every year worldwide. However, there remain serious issues. The cold chain, which is the cost and risk of transporting vaccines kept in the small temperature window of 2-8 °C, is estimated to cost 200-300 million dollars each year. Furthermore, there are several disadvantages associated with current vaccine delivery using a needle and syringe which include a fear of needles which can result in poor compliance, needle stick injuries (NSI’s), the cost of sharps disposal, sharps injuries, and cross-contamination due to needle re-use.
In our lab we are designing a novel method for needle-free injection of thermostable powdered formulations of vaccine. Delivery of powdered formulations via this method has the potential to eliminate NSI’s, reduce the amount of vaccine required for immunization, improve compliance, and solve many of the issues associated with the cold chain. Our goal this semester is to optimize the controllability of these injections in vitro. This will involve evaluating the effects of pressure, particle size, and nozzle geometry on delivery of powder to post mortem tissue. Ultimately, our current bench-top device will be translated into a portable, hand-held device for use in developing countries.
This is a credit or paid UROP for the Spring, Summer, and Fall of 2013.
Requirements: We are seeking a highly motivated, creative, critical thinker, willing to work alongside a graduate student for the spring semester and then independently throughout the summer and fall. Preference will be given to individuals with an interest and background in physics, tissue mechanics, and mechanical design.
Contact: Please email John Liu (johnhliu@mit.edu) including a paragraph explaining your interest in the project, a CV, an overview of your experience (include relevant courses and links to projects), and hours of availability. More information about the group can be found at bioinstrumentation.mit.edu.
2/19/13
Spring 2013
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Ramesh Raskar
Project Title: Computational Photography (optics and image processing)
Project Description: The 'Camera Culture' group has multiple openings for Computational Photography projects. Computational photography combines plentiful computing, digital sensors, modern optics, actuators, and smart lights to escape the limitations of traditional film cameras and enables novel imaging applications. Unbounded dynamic range, variable focus, resolution, and depth of field, hints about shape, reflectance, and lighting, and new interactive forms of photos that are partly snapshots and partly videos are just some of the new applications found in Computational Photography. We are building new types of cameras and building algorithms for processing the captured images. (More info http://cameraculture.info/ )
Prerequisites: Expert in mobile phone programming. Experience in graphics and vision programming is a plus.
Contact: Aydin Arpa (aydin_@MIT.EDU)
2/19/13
Spring 2013
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Mechanical Engineering
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Kamal Youcef-Toumi
Project Title: Reliable Power Grid Operation & Control in the Presence of Increasing Penetration of Variable Energy Resources
Project Description: Applications are invited for the position of “Undergraduate Research Engineer” as part of a joint research project between the Masdar Institute (MI) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The project’s Principal Investigators are:
• Assistant Professor Amro M. Farid, MI
• Prof. Kamal Youcef-Toumi, MIT
The successful candidate will work on a collaborative research project. The project aims to simulate the reliability of a power grid as variable energy resources such as solar, wind, and demand side management are incrementally installed. These simulations will include the operation of the relevant power markets, management systems, equipment control, and power flow analysis.
The Research Engineer will be based on the MIT campus in Cambridge, MA. (S)he will be expected to:
· Contribute primarily to the software simulation effort of the MI project team.
· Find and extract useful and dynamic models from the academic literature.
· Liaise effectively with the MI counterpart team. Communication will use all available remote collaboration tools.
Requirement: We are looking for committed, pro-active and motivated candidates that are working towards a B.Sc. in mechanical or electrical engineering and have relevant research and/or industrial work experience. This should include an understanding of the modeling of dynamic systems across multiple energy domains as well as control systems engineering techniques (e.g. continuous state-space, discrete-event systems, hybrid systems). A strong foundation in MATLAB and object-oriented programing is essential. Experience with power flow analysis, java-based programming and long-term interest in smart grids are pluses.
Package: The UROPer will be compensated for his/her time at the standard UROP rate. The position is open and can commence and can begin as soon as the spring 2013 term is completed.
Contact: To apply, please provide a CV, a brief statement of research interests and background, and contact information for two or three references. Applications and questions about the position should be directed to Prof. Amro M. Farid (afarid@masdar.ac.ae)
2/19/13
Spring 2013
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Rosalind Picard
Project Title: Long-term ambulatory health data analysis
Project Description: The Affective Computing group, Media Lab is looking for UROP students who work on long-term ambulatory physiological and behavioral data analysis. The purpose of the project is to understand the health condition (sleep, stress etc.) from long-term ambulatory data measured with wearable sensors or mobile phones.
The students must have experience in MATLAB and
have interests in signal processing/data analysis.
Experience in machine learning is plus.
Contact: If you are interested, please send an email
to Akane Sano at akanes@mit.edu with the following information:
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Subject line: “UROP – first name, last name – years in college
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A short description (<200 words) that explains why you are interested and summarizes your relevant experience. Also, please include your availability to meet and the desired number of hours per week to work.
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Attachment: CV/resume
2/15/13
Spring 2013
UROP Department: MIT Sea Grant College Program
Faculty Supervisor: Chrys Chryssostomidis
Project Title:
Seeking Invaders: Putting a Mitten on a Crab
Project Description:
The Chinese mitten crab is a delicacy in Asia, but an unwanted invader in the US where its range is spreading, causing damage to river banks that is costly to manage. The presence of the crab in the Hudson River suggests it may spread to other systems. As part of a three year study to develop a response plan for eradicating and managing the crab, we are seeking a student to assist with identifying suitable habitats and developing a risk assessment of vulnerability for invasion. The project involves collecting and managing information, conducting field work, and applying a risk model to categorize areas as high, medium and unlikely to be potential habitats for the crab.
Prerequisites:
Student should have basic computer skills, familiarity with databases and mapping experience, e.g. GIS familiarity would be helpful.
Contact:
Judith Pederson, Ph.D., MIT Sea Grant College Program, jpederso@mit.edu, 617-252-1741
2/15/13
Spring 2013
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Urban Studies & Planning
Faculty Supervisor: Chris Zegras
Project: Smartphone Apps for Sustainable Mobility in the Global South
Project Description: Do you have skills and experience in smartphone app development and/or front-/back-end web development or related skills (such as developing digital maps with meta data)? Interested in bringing those skills to the cause of sustainable mobility in rapidly developing cities? Join a team examining various possibilities for leveraging crowdsource-based information to improve sustainable transportation modes by incorporating live and historical data being accumulated by users and determining the most effective ways to return the information digitally to them (e.g., phones, browsers). Projects with local partners ongoing in Dhaka, Bangladesh and Buenos Aires, Argentina, with possibilities to extend into Mexico City; UROP positions may continue into the summer (with some field visits possible) for those interested and able.
Contact: Kuan Butts kuanb@mit.edu
2/15/13
Spring 2013
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Sloan School of Management
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Scott Stern
Project Title:
Statistical Analysis of Public Transporation in the US
Project Description:
Are you interested in getting hands on experience in economics research and big data analysis?
We are interested in analyzing data related to public transporation systems in the US, and understand how it is influenced by the availability of digital data. We are seeking to understand how for example, mobile applications like Google Maps help you use the T better using the analysis for big data about public use patterns.
Candidates will be required to : collect data by writing programmatic parsing algoriths / scraping systems, analyze data using statistical software and produce charts and regression models and be involved in the writing of the research including making Latex tables.
Prerequisites:
Programming experience necessary. The ideal candidate would be conversant with python programming, linux command line, STATA programming and be exposed to regression analysis. You are encouraged to apply even if you do not have experience in all these areas, a strong understanding in programming with help you pick up tools you have not been exposed to.
Contact information:
Please email Abhishek Nagaraj (nagaraj@mit.edu) with your CV and a description of your most complex programming project undertaken to this date.
2/15/13
Spring 2013
UROP Department/Lab/Center: BioEng/ChemEng/Chemistry
Faculty Supervisor: K.D. Wittrup
Project Title: Biosensor Engineering
Project Description: We are working on and improving existing and developing new approaches for non invasive sensing methods. The methods we use rely on protein engineering and particular properties of certain fluorophores.
Prerequisites: Prior molecular biology lab experience is preferred but not necessary. I am looking for someone with enthusiasm, committed, critical thinking, problem solving skills and attention to details. Preferably a sophomore or junior in course 5, 10 or 20. The student should be able to work least 12 hours/week (e.g. 3x4h a week) during the semester and willing to commit for the summer and fall semester.
What the student will learn: E. coli cytoplasmic protein expression, affinity chromatography, dye labeling, and basic cloning methods, as well as analytical thinking development.
Contact: Interested students are encouraged to send a paragraph of interest and resume to Seymour de Picciotto at seymour@mit.edu
Spring 2013
UROP Department/Lab/Center: McGovern Institute Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Faculty Supervisor: Mehrdad Jazayeri
Project Title: A web-based data acquisition system for studying time perception in humans
Project Description: Our lab studies the neural basis of time perception across scales, from behavior to neural circuits to cellular mechanisms. This opening is for developing and using a web-based program to study how our sense of time is influenced by the temporal statistics we encounter.
Our previous work has shown that people exploit the temporal regularities they encounter to improve their sense of time. In this project, we want to understand how people learn such regularities and how flexibly they adjust to different statistics. To do so, we need to collect large datasets from numerous individuals. We plan to do this using a web-based data collection system in which end-users would access the behavioral paradigm via the Internet and perform timing tasks on their own computers.
We are looking for an undergraduate student with expertise in HTML, JavaScript and Python to help us develop a web-based behavioral testing system that would enable us to collect large amounts of data in a timing task. Experience with MATLAB would be advantageous, as it would allow the student to analyze the data and learn about computational models of Bayesian integration.
This project is ideal for self-driven hard-working applicants whose interest lies at the intersection of technology and neuroscience.
Prerequisites: Expertise in HTML, JavaScript and Python is a must. Experience with MATLAB is desirable. Experience with developing, programming or running cognitive and perceptual experiments is a plus.
Contact: If you are interested, please send an email to Prof. Mehrdad Jazayeri at mjaz@ mit.edu with the following information:
Subject line: “UROP Time perception – first name, last name – years in college
Content: Please write a short description (<200 words) that explains why you are interested and summarizes your relevant experience. Also, please include your availability to meet and the desired number of hours per week to work.
Attachment: CV/resume in PDF format
Spring 2013
UROP Department/Lab/Center: McGovern Institute Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Faculty Supervisor: Mehrdad Jazayeri
Project Title: Design and implementation of a computer-based system for training monkeys on perceptual tasks
Project Description: Our lab studies the neural basis of cognitive behavior in animal models. As part of our efforts, we train monkeys on a variety of perceptual tasks that requires attention, motor planning and temporal coordination. This opening is for the design and implementation of a computer-based training system for monkeys. The idea is to develop a training system that would minimize the need for human supervision and intervention.
This is an exciting and multifaceted UROP project that involves programming, facility with fabrication of mechanical devices and understanding of animal behavior. Accordingly, we are looking for a talented undergraduate student who can spearhead the project by (1) work with the principal investigator to design a complete system including hardware and software elements, (2) put together the mechanical parts and the computer-control unit, and test it in training monkeys to do a number of simple behavioral tasks, which the lab will then be used to study the underlying neural mechanisms.
Applicants must have previous experience working with training awake, behaving mammals as well as experience working with Mac computers. Experience with MATLAB would be advantageous, as it would allow the applicant to analyze behavioral data and monitor progress in training.
This project is ideal for self-driven hard-working applicants whose interest lies at the intersection of technology and neuroscience.
Prerequisites: Past experience working with training awake, behaving mammals as well as experience working with Mac computers. Experience with MATLAB is desirable.
Contact: If you are interested, please send an email to Prof. Mehrdad Jazayeri at mjaz@ mit.edu with the following information:
Subject line: “UROP Animal training – first name, last name – years in college
Content: Please write a short description (<200 words) that explains why you are interested and summarizes your relevant experience. Also, please include your availability to meet and the desired number of hours per week to work.
Attachment: CV/resume in PDF format
2/14/13
Spring 2013
UROP Department/Lab/Center: MIT Media Lab, Opera of the Future Group
Faculty Supervisor: Tod Machover
Project Title: Designing Multi-sensory, Expressive Eating Experiences
Project Description: We are working on exploring ways to modify external and internal factors to change taste perception. Part of the work involves designing immersive dining experiences in the form of pop-up dinners at the Media Lab. Each dinner explores an unique theme and pushes the definition of "eating".
The other part of the project involves designing and carrying out experiments that explore how music affects flavor perception.
We are looking for a student with the following abilities/interests: Cooking, set design, experiment design
The student should be interested in cooking and be open to thinking about food as an aesthetic experience. Some of the work will involve setting up dinners in the evenings at the Media Lab. The student should be comfortable around the kitchen and be willing to learn. Familiarity with stage design, or with human subject testing, would be a plus, but not necessary.
Contact: Janice Wang: janiwang@media.mit.edu and include a resume and a paragraph on your interests and experience with food and cooking.
2/11/13
Spring 2013
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Sloan School of Management
Faculty Supervisor: Yasheng Huang
Project: Understanding media disclosure of corruption cases in China
Project Description: Corruption happens at all levels of governments and a variety of industries in China. Only a small portion of these corruption cases were reported in news media and we are hoping to understand the logic of corruption disclosure in China. For the semester and the upcoming summer, we plan to build a comprehensive dataset that collects information on corruption cases covered by major Chinese newspaper.
Requirements: We are looking for a student who is self-motivated, can read Chinese and is familiar with Chinese search engines.
Contact: Please email Yue Hou (yuehou@mit.edu) including a CV, a short statement of interest and your hours of availability.
2/7/13
Spring 2013
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Chemical Engineering
Faculty Supervisor: Paula Hammond
Project title: Engineering a better ionic exchange membrane for low relative humidity hydrogen fuel cells and potential for Li-ion batteries.
Project Description: Fuel cells and Li-ion batteries are under intense research for their possible role in a more carbon neutral future. At the crux of these electrochemical devices is a selectively permeable membrane – allowing desired charges to go through while not allowing fuel or other undesirable reactant to pass through. In our lab, we design these membranes using the Layer-by-Layer technique which allows nanoscale deposition of alternating charged polymers. The technique allows us to build with some control different changed polymers into one uniform film, introducing multiple properties associated with the polymers.
For the semester and upcoming summer, we will be looking to introduce new polymers into our membrane system and seeing how the new polymers change our film properties as well as looking at how to better control the films that we are making by tuning the fabrication conditions and post fabrication conditions. This UROP would entail making these proton-conducting films as well as characterizing the films – measuring their thickness and testing their conductivity at different temperatures and humidities and their water adsorption behavior. Some of this work have already shown great results (multiple times increase to previous membranes and change in fundamental film behavior) and further characterization is desired to more fully understand the film behavior and how to manipulate it. In addition, taking what we’ve learned, we are looking into testing these films (after Li-ion exchange) for solid state Li-ion conductivity, which is much slower and difficult process compared to proton conductivity.
Requirements: We are looking for a student who is self-motivated, willing to learn new things, and able to work independently and with others. It is desired that this UROP would continue to work in the lab on related projects following the spring term. Prior laboratory experience is desired but not required.
Contact: Please email David Liu (davidliu@mit.edu) including a paragraph explaining your interest in the project, a CV, and your hours of availability. More information concerning the group and project can be found http://web.mit.edu/hammond/lab/
2/7/13
Spring 2013
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Center for Civic Media, Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Jim Paradis
Project Title: DREAMTech Undocumented Immigrant Support Network
Project Description: DREAMtech is network of undocumented media makers, online organizers, and tech-activists across the United States. In a partnership between United We Dream, the largest national network for undocumented youth in the U.S., and the Center for Civic Media at MIT, DREAMtech aims to use media and technology for needs in immigrant communities. DREAMtech is included in Center for Civic Media research about media practice and civic engagement among undocumented immigrants.
Drawing much inspiration from “hackathons” and other collaborative spaces for solution-oriented media creation, DREAMtech facilitates spaces for skill sharing, crowd-sourced collaboration, and creation among immigrant communities. UROPs involved with DREAMtech will work directly with these networks in collaborative creation spaces.
Through this project, UROPs will explore design methods, work directly with community partners and organizations, and create new media and technology projects.
UROP Responsibilities may include:
Engaging in Collaborative Design to develop a DREAMtech website with community partners.
Develop Wordpress “toolkits,” which include custom templates, themes, and plugins in collaboration with United We Dream.
Develop toolkits with other existing media platforms.
Co-facilitate online webinars and in-person workshops.
Be available for hackathons and other in-person collaborative spaces in the Boston area.
Engage in Collaborative Design and Participatory Design to create media and technology projects with the DREAMtech network.
UROP Skills Needed:
Have basic knowledge of web development (HTML5, CSS, PHP, Javascript).
Have familiarity with Wordpress and other popular web platforms.
Proficiency or interest in graphic design also preferred.
Proficient in creating project documentation: that will be used for conferences and publications, and blogs.
Proficiency in video production and image editing also welcome.
Contact: UROPs will be working closely Rogelio Alejandro Lopez, a graduate student at Comparative Media Studies and a researcher at the Center for Civic Media. If you're interested in joining the DREAMtech Team for the spring semester, send an email to ralopez@mit.edu stating what type of work you're interested in, and relevant work you've done in the past (with links and graphic design examples, if applicable). This position is for credit or pay.
2/7/13
Spring 2013
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Chemical Engineering
Faculty Supervisor: Robert Langer
Project Title: Novel Biomaterials and Controlled Drug-Release Vehicles for Vocal Cords
Project Description: Scarring of vocal fold tissue results in the loss of its pliability leading to degradation in the voice quality. There exists NO solution to this medical problem. We work closely with MDs at the MGH to develop therapies to address this problem. Our work is highly inter-disciplinary and involves preparation and characterization of i) Implantable Biomaterials and ii) Controlled-Drug-Release Nanoparticles and Microparticles followed by their in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo testing.
This UROP opportunity will therefore give the student an in-depth experience in lab research and exposure to translational and clinical research. The project will
offer opportunities to learn techniques such as photopolymerization, rheometry, HPLC, GPC, microscopy, spectroscopy, etc. The UROP student will work on one
project as his/her main project with other projects being the side-projects. UROPs are encouraged to think independently and come up with other projects that they may be interested in working on.
Pre-requisites: Highly-motivated students with previous work-experience of working in labs will be preferred but not required. Commitment to the work, good analytical skills, and interest in the project are the MOST important criteria for selection. Minimum 10 hours per week necessary. Commitment to work for a year is desirable. This work will require regular travel to MGH (lab located close to the Charles MGH T station).
Contact: Sandeep Karajanagi. sandeepk@mit.edu
2/7/13
Spring 2013
UROP Department/Lab/Center: HST, Eatock Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Bertrand Delgutte
Project Title: Automated mapping of locations in the vestibular sense organs to understand zonal differences
Project Description: Our lab is interested in sensory processing in the vestibular system, a collection of inner ear organs that contribute to a variety of behaviors by detecting head motion. In particular, we have focused on the utricle and the saccule, two roughly flat sheets of sensory hair cells that respond to linear acceleration and gravity. The primary method we use to study this system is patch clamp electrophysiology, which involves recording current and voltage changes in the sensory hair cells and nerves in these two organs. When we record from a hair cell or neuron, it is crucial for us to know its location within the utricle or saccule. We are seeking a student to develop an automated system for mapping the location of our recording during a given session onto an "average" map of the utricle or saccule. This project will involve image acquisition, image analysis, and mathematical transformations of data. If interested, the student will also have the opportunity to learn about neuroscience, inner ear biology, and patch clamp electrophysiology.
Prerequisites: Strong programming and mathematical skills are a plus. No knowledge of biology or neuroscience is required.
Contact: Please contact Nicole Neubarth (nicoleneubarth@fas.harvard.edu).
2/6/13
Spring/Summer 2013
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Rosalind Picard
Project Title: Bio-physiological sensor and contextual Big Data data processing and visualization
Project Description: Wearable sensors are becoming ubiquitous, Mobile computing is driving down the cost of local processing and cloud computing enables the processing large amounts of data in real time. We are building a novel platform for collecting bio-physiological and contextual data using sensors, mobile phones and massive parallel computing platforms (MPCs). We're looking for several UROPS to work on a new disruptive technology, within the Affective Computing group in the Media Lab. If you are a motivated self-starter, interested in cutting edge technology and have the skills to tackle difficult problems, you may just be the person we are looking for.
The UROP will be responsible for system design and architecture, and coding in Python, Java and/or Javascript. Familiarity with cloud computing infrastructures and/or digital signal processing is preferable but not mandatory.
Please contact: If you're interested, send a resume, and a short paragraph on why this project interests you, to Yadid Ayzenberg (yadid@media.mit.edu)
2/6/13
Spring 2013
UROP Department/Lab/Center: CSAIL
Faculty Supervisor: Patrick Winston
Project Title: Bibliometrics using Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing
Project Description: Reviewing past and current literature is a key scientific and engineering activity. Quantitative analysis of the language, topics, keywords, or citation graphs of any given subset of scientific literature (bibliometrics) can be a great help to understanding what has been done in a field and what the important next steps are.
Unfortunately, off-the-shelf support for automatic extraction of citation graphs and analysis of those graphs using natural language processing and machine learning is still relatively limited. This UROP project will aim to advance the state of the art of bibliometrics on a number of different fronts. As a warm-up, we will first write a few
small research programs that check the well-formedness of a citation network. Next, we will aim to take a research tool developed at the University of Maryland called Action Science Explorer (http://www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/ase/) and retrofit it so that it can generate its suite of bibliometric analyses given an already-constructed citation network. Following this we will seek to automate the extraction of citation networks from the pdfs of a given set of articles, along with identification of important citations not currently included in the given set of articles. At this stage the project has many possible branches and can evolve into research involving machine learning, natural language processing, or network analysis. At all stages we will have the goal of producing software that is well-documented, unit-tested, and can be released to the general public.
This is a challenging project that will require the student to engage with a large, complex, poorly-documented Java codebase, figure out what it does and how it works (I like to call this “forensic programming”), clean it up, and add the required functionality. Ideally this calls for a student who is already an established Java programmer. Furthermore, the student should be highly motivated, self-directed, and independent, and also have enough free time in their schedule to make rapid progress.
The project is open-ended and can go in a lot of different directions depending on the student’s interest, and could potentially develop into an M.Eng thesis involving machine learning, natural language processing, or network analysis. Because of this, we seek a student who in principle would able to commit at least one year to the project, is interested in working over the summer, and potentially would be interested in continuing after one year if the project is going well and all parties are amenable.
Contact: For more information and to schedule an interview, send your resume and the names/emails of two references by February 15 to Dr. Mark Finlayson, markaf@mit.edu.
2/4/13
Spring 2013
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Chemical Engineering
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Klavs Jensen
Project: Embedded Control of a Complex Fluid Handling System
Project Description: The advent of microreactors and flow synthesis has opened new areas of chemistry not previously accessible to simple glassware and batch reactions. This project is the product of close collaboration between engineers and chemists to design and build a fully functional flow synthesizer to rapidly generate compounds for research many times faster than possible by hand. We have validated the chemistry and are in the process of building the final system to use in the lab. The equipment now requires automation and control to allow easy use by all researchers in the lab.
We are seeking a highly motivated UROP to automate a complex fluid handling system for a bench top reactor. The end result of this project will be a fully functional automated system for custom chemical synthesis. The project involves selection of automation hardware, programming the system, and testing operation of the reactor. The ideal candidate has microcontroller programming experience (Arduino or other similar platform), a self-motivated work ethic, strong problem solving abilities, and an interest in creating neatly packaged, finished products. Previous experience with PCB design and control signal circuit design is desired.
Contact: Please email Andrea Adamo (aadamo@mit.edu) and Patrick Heider (pheider@mit.edu) with your CV and a brief description of your interest in this project.
2/4/13
Spring & Summer 2013
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Space Systems Laboratory, Aero/Astro
Faculty Supervisor: Alvar Saenz-Otero
Project: The Zero Robotics Team
Project Description: The Zero Robotics team is looking for 3 to 4 UROPs to form the "Game Design" team during the Spring and Summer 2013 terms.
The Zero Robotics (http://zerorobotics.mit.edu/) competition allows high-school students to program the SPHERES satellites (http://ssl.mit.edu/spheres) and compete first in simulation; the finalists have their code run by astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
During Spring 2013 and into Summer 2013 the Zero Robotics team will be designing a new game for the 2013 Fall tournament. Therefore, we are looking for students interested in game design... who want to take the challenge of the creating a game with the constraints of the SPHERES operational environment aboard the ISS (e.g. limited fuel, time, memory). At the same time, the game is played by high-school students programming an autonomous player for the satellites, not a joystick.
Target years: Any
Previous experience:
* Must have strong comfort programming in c/c++ (or similar language)
* Working knowledge of MATLAB helpful
* Experience with JavaScript or ActionScript helpful
* Previous game design helpful
* Alum of a FIRST robotics team a plus
UROP type:
* Spring: for pay or credit; Summer: for pay
* Looking especially (but not exclusively) for students interested in Spring + Summer combination (paid UROP during summer would be assured based on Spring performance)
Hours:
* Spring: ~12 hours per week (12-unit UROP or equivalent for paid)
* Summer: minimum 20 hours per week, maximum 40 hours per week
Contact:
spheres@mit.edu
2/4/13
Spring 2013
UROP Department/Lab/Center: The Center for Collective Intelligence, Sloan School of Management
Faculty Supervisor: Thomas Malone
Project Description: The Center for Collective Intelligence is seeking an undergraduate research assistant for a project on the basic intelligence factor that underlies team performance in a variety of domains such as corporations, universities, hospitals, and the military. This spring, we will need assistance with data analysis for a study that compares online and offline teams and how social intelligence affects their performances.
The UROP student will be responsible for data coding and management, assistance with study design, and depending on ability, some programming. This position would appeal to students with an interest in psychology, computer science, organizational behavior, or collective intelligence. An ideal candidate is organized, intellectually curious, and interested in interdisciplinary approaches to studying group behavior. Programming ability is preferred.
Contact: If interested, please submit your resume with a brief email that explains your interest to both David Engel (dengel@mit.edu) and Lisa Jing (lisajing@mit.edu).
2/4/13
SUMMER 2013
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Mathematics Department
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Jeremy Kepner and Prof. Alan Edelman
Project Title: Spreadsheets, Big Tables, and the Abstract Algebra of Associative Arrays
Project Description: Spreadsheets are used by nearly 100M people every day. Triple store databases (e.g., Google Big Table, Amazon Dynamo, and Hadoop HBase) store a large fraction of the analyzed data in the world and are the backbone of modern web companies. Both spreadsheets and big tables can hold diverse data (e.g., strings, dates, integers, and reals) and lend themselves to diverse representations (e.g., matrices, functions, hash tables, and databases). D4M (Dynamic Distributed Dimensional Data Model) has been developed to provide a mathematically rich interface to triple stores. The central mathematical concept of D4M is the “associative array” which combines spreadsheets, triple stores, sparse linear algebra, and fuzzy algebra. This projects seeks to strengthen the abstract algebraic foundations of associative arrays. The student will work with the faculty advisor to develop the basic theorems of associative arrays by building on existing work on fuzzy algebra and
linear algebra.
Prerequisites: Strong mathematical background (the student should have completed 18.701 and 18.702). Experience with Matlab is helpful, but not a requirement. Participants will be paid.
Contact: Dr. Jeremy Kepner (kepner@ll.mit.edu) http://www.mit.edu/~kepner
2/4/13
Spring 2013
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Brain & Cognitive Sciences
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. John Gabrieli
Project Title: Brain Imaging Language Development (BILD)
Project Description: Help us figure out how language develops in kids and adults! The Gabrieli Lab has an opening for a UROP to work on analyzing, scoring and organizing data from behavioral and imaging tasks completed by adults and children with and without autism and/or language disorders. The UROP will be involved in verifying scores on standardized clinical assessments of memory, cognition and language, listening to and making judgments about sound files, and potentially assisting with fMRI assessments and testing. S/He will be working with us to find out more about what the brain is doing when people are using language, and how this may vary across age and experience levels. He/She will also have the opportunity to tailor work to their individual interests and learn about designing and implement psychology experiments.
Prerequisites: We are looking for self-motivated individuals interested in language, development and the brain. Experience with clinical populations and/or coding skills are a plus. We are hoping for a commitment of 10-12 hours per week during the semester, though applicants who are able to commit less time will be considered. We
welcome students who would be interested in continuing on for a couple of semesters and potentially during the summer.
Contact Information: irinao@mit.edu, gablab.mit.edu
2/1/13
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Edgerton Center
Faculty Supervisor: Rich Fletcher
Title: Software Platform for Mobile Psychiatry
Description: As part of our work in mobile phones and health, there is a rapidly increasing amount of research in using mobile phones as a platform to help in the treatment of various mental health issues, ranging from common stress and anxiety, to more serious pathologies such as clinical depression and substance abuse. Building on previous mobile app work done by Dr. Fletcher for helping war veterans with PTSD and drug addiction, we would like to explore new software platforms for use in a local drug rehab shelter. We would like to start with a simple system to handle doctor appointments, therapy attendance, and reminders, but eventually we would like to integrate physiological data using our wearable stress-monitoring sensors.
UROP tasks will include: Developing a server platform, based on Drupal, which integratesVOIP and SMS capability to support mobile phone communications (the VOIP Drupal plug-in was developed at MIT). Each patient has a Google calendar account. The server platform and web-based dashboard is intended to be used by clinical staff to enter appointments and integrate with Google Calendar. There is a public viewing screen, where patients can log in and view their individual appointments and data. Experience with service side programming, such as
Drupal, PHP, or JAVA/Tomcat is useful. All of these skills are not needed, since there are multiple ways that this platform can be implemented, based on the UROP student's interests and skills. Mobile app development is useful but not required at this phase of the project. Certainly, a interest in helping people with mental health issues or experience/interest in drug addiction treatment is a plus, but not required.
We are looking for a responsible student who is able to work independently and open to continuing work in our group beyond the spring
term. Currently, there is only funding via UROP direct funding or UROP for credit. however some private foundation funding may be available to support summer UROP work. This is also a good opportuntity to publish an academic paper in this field.
Please contact: Dr. Rich Fletcher (fletcher@media.mit.edu) (and mention for which project you are applying)
