Terrascope Scholars

Terrascope can help you find a Undergraduate Research Project (UROP) in an area of your interest by introducing you to faculty mentors who can are looking for students to work on specific research projects. We can also help you to design a project of your own.

Here are descriptions of three Terrascope-sponsored projects students have undertaken recently:

Carribean Museum Boat Project: This project started with a Terrascope student's summer job in the Dominican Republic after his sophomore year. He was asked to work with a group to design a national science and technology museum. As his work progressed, he became aware that many Caribbean nations could benefit from science museums, but lacked the population to support a permanent installation. He and his collaborators wondered if it would be possible to build a museum on a boat that could visit various ports of call. Upon return to MIT, he pulled together a group of interested students to analyze this idea and define the nature of the proposed museum more precisely. The project has continued with funded UROPs. In the first year the group defined parameters of the project and conducted a feasibility study. Over the summer, students worked n the Dominican Republic and Jamaica to build the necessary local support, and they are currently working to make the project a reality.

Seismic-Adapted Housing in Pakistan: An architecture/mechanical engineering double major has worked on designing housing suitable for regions of her home country, Pakistan, that were severely impacted by a major earthquake in 2005. Her first year's work involved visiting affected areas, gathering data from local residents, emergency officials, nongovernmental organizations, and others. She has since developed plans for housing that will be safer during earthquakes, but that also fits in with traditional local uses and customs. She is now working to have her designs implemented in a model-village project.

Investigating and Reforming Recycling at MIT: Another UROP project grew out of a talk by a guest from MIT's Environmental Programs Office on ways MIT is working to improve the workings of its recycling program. A student became interested in the specific workings of the recycling program and conducted research on ways to improve the system without spending additional money. The first stage of her project focused on problems within the existing program and estimated the cost to the Institute in lost income and extra waste-removal payments. The outcome of the second stage of her project was a proposal for reform of the recycling system that could increase its efficiency and save money at the same time.