MIT's Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

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.

2/13/12
UROP Department: MIT Energy Initiative
Faculty Supervisor: Varies (see below)

The MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) will support several full-time energy UROPs during Summer 2012 for pay.

Project description: 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.

Applications for summer 2012 Energy UROPs should include a brief proposal with a clear focus on energy developed with a faculty mentor who will supervise your summer work.

If interested, and if you have a faculty advisor in mind, please work together to develop a one to three page proposal which describes the context and scope of 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 but would like to find a project, you can browse project openings on the UROP website, or you can look into what faculty are working on via the MITEI research website and contact them directly. The UROP website gives some great tips on how to get in touch with a professor about working with them.

Please submit your proposal to MITEI Student Activities Coordinator Jennifer DiMase (jdimase@mit.edu) no later than 12 noon on Friday, March 9. You may also wish to submit an online UROP application to be considered for Direct Funding through the UROP office, should your project not be among those funded by MITEI. Ideally, MITEI UROP funding decisions will be made by April 19th, which is the UROP office summer direct funding deadline.

MITEI UROP funding is provided by private donors and by members of the MIT Energy Initiative, including Founding Member BP, Founding Member Shell, and individual Affiliate Members with a particular interest in supporting undergraduate research. Project descriptions of the 29 undergraduate researchers who worked on projects during summer 2011 can be viewed online.

Contact: Jennifer DiMase jdimase@mit.edu

2/13/12
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Scheller Teacher Education Program (STEP) lab
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Eric Klopfer

Project Title: Software Developer for Mobile Games

Project Description: Interested in mobile games? Web applications? Databases? The STEP Lab is looking for Spring 2012 UROPs (or UAPs) to help create the next generation of educational multiplayer mobile games or “UqibGames” for tablets and smart phones.

UbiqGames are browser-based games played by students outside of school to learn various subjects (e.g., biology). The STEP Lab is developing several multiplayer educational games. In these games, students log into a server allowing them to play against classmates and enabling their teachers to track student progress via a “teacher portal”.

Key aspects of this UROP include: This UROP will be involved in the design and implementation of the Teacher Portal, which allows teachers to track students' game play and game status. There may also be opportunities to be involved in game design, depending on UROP interest.

Specific tasks will include:

- Front-end UI design (mainly web page layout and styling) of Teacher Portal

- Back-end integration of user analytics database with front-end Teacher Portal

- Primary technology used include the Django framework and JQuerry

UROP may be done for pay or credit during Spring 2012. There is the possibility of continuing the UROP position in Summer 2012. For more information, go to: http://education.mit.edu/ for more information.

Looking for a UAP? Students interested in working on this project as part of their UAP work can also contact us as well.

Prerequisites: Applicants should have interest/experience in the following:

- databases and both front and back-end software development.

- creating front-end web pages

Individuals with experience the following areas are strongly encouraged to apply:

- web applications or developing in PHP, Ruby, server-side Java and Python

- Experience designing games

Contact: Please send a cover letter and resume to: tep-jobs@mit.edu and put “UbiqGames UROP” in the subject line.

2/13/12
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Synthetic Neurobiology Group, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, and the MIT Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Ed Boyden

Project Title: Dissecting the dynamics of emotional and cognitive brain circuits using novel optical tools.

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. We are examining the neural basis of emotion and cognition using temporally and spatially precise optical perturbations of the brain in awake behaving mice. You will be performing virus injections, histology and fluorescence microscopy to assay virus targeting; animal handling, behavioral training & assays, and behavior data analysis to model cognitive and emotional processing and detect changes due to circuit manipulation; and data analysis using signal processing in matlab to analyze brain signals; as well as other jobs. 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. Experience with signal processing and/or matlab is preferred. Qualified applicants must have an interest in neuroscience and a strong work ethic, be detail oriented and honest, and work well with others. We require 15-20 hours/week with a minimum 1 year commitment, 2+ year commitment preferred.

Contact: Interested applicants should send a cover letter, resume, and transcript (unofficial is ok) to Annabelle Singer, asinger@mit.edu.

2/13/12
UROP Department: CSAIL/MVL-Interactive Robotics Group
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Julie Shah

Project Title: Aerospace Manufacturing for Human-Robot Teams

Project Description: Aerospace manufacturing requires teams of people to effectively coordinate to perform complex tasks which involve temporospatial, ordering, and resource constraints. We are developing algorithms that allow the addition of mobile, robotic agents to cooperate with human workers to improve productivity. We are seeking a UROP to help design a graphic user interface (GUI) that will enable fluid communication between the human and robotic agents. Long-term research opportunities are possible and include human-machine interface design challenges.

Requirements: experience with Java GUI/graphics development.
Bonus: coursework in 16.400 or other human factors study; MATLAB experience.

Interested? Send a CV to Matthew Gombolay (gombolay@mit.edu). Our webpage: http://groups.csail.mit.edu/irg/wordpress/

2/13/12
UROP Department: Affective Computing Group, Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Rosalind Picard

Project Title: Recognition of body gestures using Microsoft Kinect

Project Description: Body gestures play an important role in face to face interactions. Specially, in context of job interviews certain gestures can make the interviewee feel more empowered. We are currently looking for an UROP who can use the Microsoft Kinect to recognize certain body gestures (e.g., leaning forward, shoulder movement etc.).

The developed body gesture recognition module will become part of an existing system that allows people to practice interviews with an avatar and get real time feedback on what they have done right or wrong.

Perks: Co-author research papers at the top conferences/journals and recommendation letters.

Prerequisites: Computer programming abilities or willing to learn Microsoft Kinect SDK.

Contact: Ehsan Hoque (mehoque@mit.edu) – Affective Computing Group, Media Lab

2/13/12
UROP Department: RLE/Speech Communication Group
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Stefanie Shattuck-Hufnagel

Project: UROP position in project on speech and gesture, Spring 2012 term with possibility of extension into the summer

When we speak, we often gesture with our hands, head and facial features in ways that help to signal our intended message. Recent scientific studies of this aspect of communication have proposed different classes of speech-accompanying gestures, and patterns of timing alignment with the spoken message. This project extends these studies to the kinematics of the gestures, asking whether different gesture types have different velocity patterns and how the velocity peaks of the movements align with the prosody of the speech.

Although this is an entry-level position and we can train you to use the software for labelling and analysing the gestural movement kinematics, several types of experience would be useful: familiarity with video manipulation software, experience using excel to enter and analyse large databases, and/or a strong interest in speech and communication.

Pays $10.50 per hour, and requires a commitment of 8-10 hours per week during the term.

Contact: Dr. Stefanie Shattuck-Hufnagel in the Speech Communication Group, RLE, sshuf@mit.edu

2/13/12
UROP Department: Aero/Astro; Humans & Automation Lab (HAL)
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Cummings

The Humans & Automation Lab (HAL) is looking for a student to help us with next-generation human-computer interaction research. In particular, we are looking for someone to work with us on exciting research on brain sensing and brain-computer interfaces, and applying it to human-robot interfaces and unmanned vehicle supervisory control systems.

The work will involve programming (Java and/or Matlab) to enhance our testbed and data processing. It will also involve running human factors experiments with human subjects.

Desired Skills: Java programming, familiarity with MATLAB, interest in human-computer interaction and/or machine learning, basic statistics is a plus

Supervisors: Dr. Erin Solovey (post-doc) and Prof. M. L. Cummings

Contact:erinsol@mit.edu

2/9/12
UROP Department: Mechanical Engineering, Design Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Patrikalakis

UROP Position 1 for Spring 2012 with possible extension to Summer - Fall 2012 for pay or credit

Project description: We are interested in hiring a motivated computer science student to work on a robotics project. The student will be asked to work with other students to implement a C++ (object oriented) code for path planning robotics application using randomized algorithms(such as RRT, PRM, EST)

Requirements: The student should be familiar with C++ programming and able to use open source libraries such as ROS and OMPL.

Contact: Prof. Patrikalakis nmp@mit.edu

2/9/12
UROP Department: MIT Sea Grant College Program
Faculty Supervisor: Chrys Chryssostomidis

Project Title: Social Impacts of Herring Management in the Northeast Region of the U.S.

Project Description: We are looking for a student interested in helping with a wide variety of tasks associated with an interdisciplinary research on the management of Atlantic herring. Herring (Atlantic, Clupeaharengus harengus andPacific, C. harenguspallasi ) has been a species of significance worldwide at least since the 15th century, but has a volatile history of boom and bust. Currently herring management in the Northeast differs from the management of many other species in the region because of the apparent robust health of the stocks, nevertheless, the process of developing a social impact assessment (SIA) is very similar.

We will be focusing primarily on the federal regulations, but also considering impacts that may have resulted from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s herring management. One portion of the project seeks to determine which impacts of current regulations were anticipated by the required SIA and what other impacts have actually occurred since implementation of the regulations. We are also interested in logging cumulative impacts that may have contributed to unanticipated impacts. We anticipate that this discussion about impacts will contribute to our understanding of the differences in goals and values of the various stakeholders associated with herring, knowledge essential for designing appropriate and effective management for the future.

Tasks will start with a review of articles about herring management in commercial fisheries trade journals. Summaries of key points contained in the articles will be shared with the team. The team may also need help organizing both group and individual meetings (e.g., focus groups and individual interviews) with stakeholders - it is possible the student will accompany me to interview some of the fisheries managers or scientists. You will be attending meetings, taking notes, reviewing transcripts and helping to draft reports. There will be up to 70 transcripts of interviews with stakeholders in the herring fishery that will be reviewed. The student will help code these (using NVivo software) and will help the community researchers and the PIs analyze the results. We will be interacting with, among others, commercial and recreational fishermen, environmental groups and federal and state scientists.

Prerequisites: We are seeking someone who can start soon and, hopefully, continue through the summer. You must be available an average of 10 hours per week over the semester. We would like to have someone who is well-organized and able to work independently join us on the project. Decent writing skills 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:

2/9/12
Sea Grant College Program UROP Project Spring 2012
Faculty Sueprvisor: Dr. Judy Pederson

Project Title: Risk assessment and monitoring habitat in the Northeast

We are initiating a research program focused on the Chinese mitten crab, an invasive decapod that has the potential to alter river banks, impact local fisheries, and displace native species. The mitten crab can remain cryptic for years to decades, but have exhibited population bursts of hundreds of thousands. Since they are catadromous, they migrate to the sea as adults to spawn and migrate into rivers and streams for 2-6 years. Most of the damage is in the rivers and streams where they burrow into river banks, eat vegetation, and interfere with fishing activities.

During the spring semester we will be identifying potential habitat locations throughout the Northeast (from NYC to Maine) and developing a risk assessment of high to low probability for the habitats. In the late spring and summer, we will initiate a monitoring program working with citizen monitoring programs so that they include the Chinese mitten crab to their list of species of concern.

Prerequisites: The student should be familiar with Arc GIS or mapping capabilities in programs such as MatLab with geospatial tools.

Contact: Please write to Dr. Judy Pederson, jpederso@mit.edu, with a brief description of your background and interest in the project, and attach your resume.

2/9/12
Department: Chemical Engineering
UROP Faculty Supervisor: Paula T. Hammond

Project Title: Functionalized Multilayer Carbon Nanotube Films for Detection of Chemical Warfare Agents

Project Description: The overarching goal of this project is to develop chemoresistive sensor based on carbon nanotube (CNT) technology for detecting chemical warfare agents. The unique architecture of our device enables direct incorporation of the sensing element into the soldier’s uniform. The fabrication and physical characterization of the sensors have been completed. The specific focus of the UROP project in the spring term is to assist with conducting sensing tests using electrical current measurements and improving testing protocol. The UROP will gain hands-on experience with electrochemistry of carbon nanotubes. This UROP will begin immediately, and is for-credit-only. You can apply for UROP Direct Funding if this is your first UROP.

What we are looking for:

Duration: 3 months (spring term 2012), 10-12 hours per week.

Contact: Please send an updated CV or resume and a letter, indicating why you would be a good fit for this position, to Kittipong Saetia: ksaetia@mit.edu

2/8/12
Department: Urban Studies and Planning: Senseable City Lab
Faculty supervisor: Carlo Ratti

The SENSEable City Lab will deploy a set of hacked Android phones to use as tracking devices. We will use these to study the movement of e-waste and other materials once they've entered the disposal chain. Past related projects include TrashTrack (http://senseable.mit.edu/trashtrack/) and BackTalk (http://senseable.mit.edu/backtalk/).

The project will involve: 1) procuring batteries and electronic components that can sustain the device in the field for several months without recharging, and 2) tweaking the software running on the phone to gather information we need from GPS, accelerometer, and camera on a timed cycle, while regulating battery consumption and the power management of the operating system.

We are seeking a student who is:

Contact info: senseable-backtalk@mit.edu , http://senseable.mit.edu/

2/8/12
Program in Art, Culture and Technology
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Otto Piene

Project Description: Seeking a UROP student interested in a transdisciplinary art, science, technology, society project. Some experience with robotics, electrical/mechanical engineering required to help perfect a robot for people who are visually challenged. The eye robot serves as a guide between the world of sight and the world of those who are severely sight-impaired. The student would work as part of a team towards a public presentation at MIT in late spring. Students with machine shop access and experience are preferred. Some experience with photoshop and video is also desirable.

If interested in applying for direct funding, contact Elizabeth Goldring. goldring@mit.edu, cell, phone: 508-523-7223

2/8/12
Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Ann Graybiel

Project Description: We are seeking a student to help with studies of mouse models of neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism and bipolar disorder. We have generated mice that lack forebrain-enriched signaling molecules and are systematically evaluating behavior in these mice.

The position available involves studying behavioral and molecular effects of these gene deletions, with an emphasis on social interactions and repetitive behaviors. The experiments require flexibility in work hours to accommodate drug treatment schedules. The ideal candidate will be able to continue research in the Graybiel laboratory for the summer and longer term.

Contact: The primary contact is Jill Crittenden (jrc@mit.edu). Candidates should also please cc Yasuo Kubota (ykubota@mit.edu) and Ann Graybiel (graybiel@mit.edu).

2/8/12
UROP Department: Sloan School
Faculty Supervisor: Josh Ackerman
Graduate Student Supervisor: Sachin Banker

Title: Psychology and Neuroscience of Economic Behavior and Decision Making

Project Description: People are influenced by a variety of factors when making decisions. These range from features of the decision problem like time, risk, and strategic concerns to the thoughts and emotions that make up the decision maker's psychology. In this UROP position, we will explore how these different forms of influence affect behavior in ways that predictably depart from the predictions of the rational model. Topics explored will include self-control, fairness, disgust, placebo effects, and genetic polymorphisms.

Experiments will be run primarily in the MIT Behavioral Research Lab, and UROPs will work on multiple projects over the course of the semester. This is an excellent opportunity for students with a background in psychology, neurobiology, or economics with an interest in the psychological mechanisms of behavior, especially for those considering graduate school in a behavioral discipline. This UROP primarily involves hands-on experience with conducting research, and is for-credit only.

Prerequisites: Basic computer knowledge (PC and Mac). Must be dependable, conscientious, and have strong English language skills for regular interaction with participants. Background in microeconomic theory and/or cognitive neuroscience is a plus.

Time: Approximately 4-5 hours per week.

Contact: Send your availability and academic interests/experience to Sachin Banker at banker@mit.edu

2/8/12
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Biological Engineering and Center for Gynepathology Research
Faculty Supervisor: Linda Griffith

Project description: This overall goal of this project is to develop a new therapeutic approach for cancer and endometriosis treatment. A critical bottleneck in this approach is the production and characterization of a novel protein, bivalent neuregulin, for use in animal models of disease. The specific focus of the UROP project is to assist with protein purification through close collaboration with a postdoctoral fellow and a graduate student. The primary responsibility in spring term includes growing and monitoring bacterial cultures, running purifications via liquid chromatography (FPLC), and characterizing protein fractions to assess purity. The skills gained during this research opportunity are highly valued in the biotechnology industry. Participation in research group meetings with students, postdocs, and clinical staff is encouraged, and the use of the protein in vivo against tumors will be undertaken.

The UROP will begin immediately, and pay is available for a student with previous protein production/purification experience. The UROP may be extended into the summer with good performance.

Qualifications: Attention to detail, focus, responsibility, aptitude at learning physical lab skills, and interest in the project are required. This position is open to those with and without previous lab experience - there will be opportunities for students at a variety of levels to contribute to our work and to broaden their skill set, however previous experience with protein purification is highly valued. Level of independence and intellectual involvement in the project will depend on previous lab experience, grade level, and performance.

Contact:  Edgar Sanchez (Prof. Griffith lab), <edgars@MIT.EDU>

2/8/12
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Faculty Supervisor: Rohit Karnik

Position: Assistant in Experiments Sorting Particles using Hydrodynamic Resistance.

Description: Fabrication of microfluidic devices for deformable particle sorting based on induced hydrodynamic resistance using photo-curable droplets. Basic concept and non optimized system has already been developed, student is expected to fabricate second generation of devices, improve and characterize performance. Results should lead to publication if finished within the allocated time.

Tasks involve:

Duration: 3 months (spring term 2012), 12-16 hours per week.

Desired Requirements: Familiarity with lithography and micro-fluidics (2.674 level or better). Familiarity with matlab and cameras. Proactive character and good presentation and organization skills. (instruction can be provided if some of these items are missing)

Contact: Marco Cartas, mcartas@MIT.EDU

2/8/12
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Kanwisher Lab (McGovern Institute for Brain Research / Brain & Cognitive Sciences Department)
Faculty Supervisor: Nancy Kanwisher

Project Title: The cognitive neuroscience of stable visual perception and of the autistic phenotype

Project Description: Interested in cognitive neuroscience? In how the brain generates the mind? Join the Kanwisher lab (http://web.mit.edu/bcs/nklab/) and learn how to ask and to answer questions in cognitive neuroscience!

You would work on two separate projects trying to address the following broad questions:

What kinds of things you'd be responsible for:

What we're looking for:

Contact: Please contact Alex at alexkell@mit.edu. In your email, please briefly describe your background and/or attach a resume and let us know when you might be available for an interview.

2/8/12
Department: Civil & Environmental Engineering
Faculty supervisor: Elfatih Eltahir

Project title: Parallel computing for Malaria Modelling

Project Description: The Eltahir Research Group is looking for a UROP with experience in parallel programming to improve our agent-based model of malaria transmission. The model, HYDREMATS, simulates the environmental processes leading to the formation of water pools. These water pools serve as breeding sites for tens of thousands of simulated mobile mosquitoes that bite humans and transmit malaria. HYDREMATS is used to better understand the dynamics of disease transmission in Africa, and has applications such as providing early warnings of epidemics and testing the efficacy of intervention methods.

The role of the UROP will be to parallelize HYDREMATS so that it can run more efficiently and take advantage of our computing cluster.

Prerequisites: Experience in parallel computing. Knowledge of Fortran preferred.

Contact information: Teresa Yamana: tkcy@mit.edu, eltahir.mit.edu

2/7/12
Health Sciences and Technology
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Chi-Sang Poon

Project Title: Analog VLSI neuromorphic phase-lock loop circuit

The Poon Lab is seeking a UROP student to assist in the analysis and testing of a novel analog very-large-scale-integrated circuit chip for ultra-low power phase-lock loop operation that is inspired by brain oscillator and short-term memory circuits. Work can lead to an UAP or MEng thesis. For related work, see: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/brain-chip-1115.html.

Skills/Requirements: Analog circuit experience preferably in transistor level design and testing. Coursework requirements: minimum 6.002 and 6.012. Background in neuroscience/biology a plus but not required.

Contact: Dr. Chi-Sang Poon, cpoon@mit.edu; x8-5405; E25-250

2/7/12
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Sloan TIES group
Faculty Supervisor: Pai-Ling Yin
Project Manager: Abhishek Nagaraj

Project Title: Mobile platform developer survey

Project Description: This project will survey mobile applications developers to analyze determinants of entrepreneurship. We are looking for a Spring(with possibility of continuing into the summer and beyond) UROP to manage a survey and analyze the resulting responses. Management includes administering Amazon Mechanical Turk survey to collect developer contact information and then managing queries to online survey and following up to ensure that survey response rate is acceptable. Response analysis includes creating summary statistics and following up on incomplete responses, and survey question redesign if necessary. We would like the UROP to write a summary and characterization of the entrepreneurs surveyed, time permitting.

Prerequisites: none

Contact: pyin@mit.edu, nagaraj@mit.edu

2/7/12
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Optics and Quantum Electronics Group (EECS/Physics), Research Laboratory of Electronics
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Franz Kaertner

Project Title: Stabilization of enhancement laser cavities for relativistic electron acceleration

Advances in molecular biology, physical chemistry or fundamental atomic physics are inextricably linked to the development of coherent bright X-ray laser sources for detection and manipulation of extremely quick processes at the nanoscale. Nowadays, such light sources are based on enormous and costly accelerator facilities where, for example, electrons are accelerated to relativistic speeds and quickly decelerated subsequently scattering high energy photons in a coherent fashion. In particular, free electron lasers have been the workhorse for the generation of high-flux coherent X-rays pulses during the last few decades. In smaller laboratory environments, X-ray sources can be created using high harmonic generation or X-ray plasma lasers, both pumped by intense ultrafast laser pulses. However, those approaches typically exhibit a very low efficiency or they present limitations in terms of tunability, brightness or available energy. There is currently a race to find alternative solutions that can generate bright X-ray ultrafast laser pulses in small scale laboratories.

Within this project, we are currently developing a novel X-ray laser source that will fulfill those requirements based on a 'small scale' version of an electron accelerator, where the accelerating electric field is produced by optical laser pulses instead of more conventional approaches using RF cavities (linacs). For enhancing the electric field, we have developed laser enhancement resonators, in this case the optical electric field can be effectively enhanced along the propagation direction. The enhancement depends directly on the locking of the pump laser to the enhancement cavity. Therefore we are interested in the development of novel schemes for closed loop control. We have explored different methods for multidimensional control of the positioning and the temporal synchronization of the laser pulses inside the cavity, among them, digital control is being currently investigated as an optimal approach to solve the stabilization problem. The UROP student will develop (both hardware and software) a new digital control loop system for controlling the stability of such laser cavity.

Desirable Skills: Experience with control electronics, machining, and C++/MATLAB, circuit design tools.

Contact: Prof. Franz Kaertner (kaertner@mit.edu)

2/7/12
Camera Culture Group | MIT Media Lab
Faculty supervisor: Ramesh Raskar

Project description: With the invention of integral imaging and parallax barriers in the beginning of the 20th century, glasses-free 3D display has become feasible. Today -more than 100 years later- glasses-free 3D displays mostly remain a niche product. Hope is not lost! Nintendo recently introduced the 3DS - the first attempt to push glasses-free 3D displays into the mass market. While successful in generating interactive 3D content, the underlying display technology in the 3DS has not fundamentally changed in the last century. In our group, we explore modern approaches to glasses-free 3D display using dual and multi-layer light field displays. In contrast to conventional display technology, these systems aim for a joint design of the display optics and computational processing - a concept that has been exploited for image capture in computational photography for about a decade.

We are looking for a motivated UROP who will help us fabricate a number of glasses-free 3D displays. That involves content creation using 3D software, working out some math, computational processing of the data using a mostly-existing software pipeline, and especially fabricating the prototypes. We are planning on building an artistic exhibition piece that is composed of multiple of our glasses-free 3D displays (http://web.media.mit.edu/~dlanman/research/Layered3D/index.html).
 
Prerequisites: motivation, basic understanding of 3D graphics (ideally some experience with 3D content creation), basic programming skills (ideally Matlab), basic understanding of linear algebra

Contact: Gordon Wetzstein (gordonw@media.mit.edu). Website: http://cameraculture.media.mit.edu/

2/7/12
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Sloan TIES group
Faculty Supervisor: Pai-Ling Yin

Project Manager: Abhishek Nagaraj

Project Title: Entrepreneurship and competition: Apple iPhone/iPad vs. Google Android competition

Project Description: This project will collect data on applications developed for mobile platforms (iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry, Windows, Nokia) and Facebook in order to assess the interaction between competing platform strategies and innovation on these platforms. By creating a database over time of entry, exit, business models, quality, and adoption of applications and exploiting different policies towards application development by the platform hosts, we will be able to identify successful strategies on the part of both platform managers and applications developers. Our findings will suggest best practices for platform and ecosystem development, in particular,How do entrepreneurial firms compete with each other and innovate in developing new applications? and How should platforms be managed in the presence of direct and applications competition?

We are looking for a Spring UROP (with the opportunity to continue through summer and beyond) to code and manage collection of data on applications available for mobile platforms (iPhone/iPad, Android, etc.) from online sources. Management includes ensuring that the code is working to collect data and fixing the code as needed when data collection failures occur.

Time permitting, UROP may be requested to produce summary stats of data collected and conduct preliminary analysis.

Prerequisites: Preference given to those with PERL/php experience and experience in scraping data from web pages. Knowledge of web programming and mySQL helpful, but not necessary.

Contact: pyin@mit.edu, nagaraj@mit.edu

2/7/12
Program in Writing and Humanistic Studies
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Rebecca Faery

We solicit applications from students proficient in copyediting abilities to serve as the student editorial assistant for summer 2012 for Angles 2012, an annual online magazine that publishes exemplary writing from students in the introductory writing subjects. The editorial assistant position will also research and work on writing grants to support funding for the magazine and research additional educational uses for Angles. We especially encourage people who enjoy writing and are good at it and enjoy reviewing other students' work. The editorial assistant position will also be in charge of fact checking in the essays we publish and of soliciting author biographies and photographs to accompany the published essays.

If you are interested in applying, please contact Rebecca Faery, Director of First Year Writing, by email (faery@mit.edu) for an interview.

2/7/12
UROP with Professor Banerjee Supervisor: Marco DiMaggio, dimaggio@mit.edu

I am looking for a UROP to work on two closely related projects. The ideal candidate must have familiarity with STATA (programming skills with Matlab is a plus) and knowledge of basic econometric analysis.

Preferred economic courses taken: 14.32, 14.33 or similar. Interest in finance-related topics preferred. Main task will be the analysis of data on mutual and hedge funds.

Introduction: Most individuals do not invest in security markets directly but rather via mutual, pension, and hedge funds. These funds are managed by asset management firms, which are legal entities different from the funds they manage. Consequently, even though fund managers have the obligation to manage fund assets in the interest of the fund's investors, they are actually employees of the asset management firm. Fund managers are thus "double agents" in that they have two principals: the fund's investors and the management firm's owners. The interests of these two principals are not necessarily aligned. By law, the interest of the fund investors must prevail, but in practice we may observe cases where fund managers act more on behalf of the management firm's shareholders.

Project 1: how does fund managers' reputation affect their trading behavior? How did fund managers' face the last financial crisis? Did they exacerbate the economic and financial shocks with their trading behavior?

Project 2: We would like to show how bank-affiliated mutual funds trade the stock of the parent bank. Hypothesis: bank-affiliated funds (i.e., funds managed by asset management firms that are controlled by banks) systematically increase, relative to non-affiliated funds, their holdings of the controlling bank stock when the bank's stock suffers a large price drop.

CONTACT: Marco DiMaggio, dimaggio@mit.edu

2/6/12
Department: Linguistics and Philosophy
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Martin Hackl

Position: Research Assistant at the Experimental Syntax and Semantics Lab

Description: We are looking for two research assistants to help conduct experiments at our lab headed by Prof. Martin Hackl. Responsibilities cover all aspects of experimental research in linguistics including experimental design, stimulus generation, running of participants, data analysis and lab setup.

Prerequisites and Requirements: Students with some background and more importantly interest in linguistics or psycholinguistics. Background in statistical analysis (using R Language) and scripting is a plus but not necessary. We will be glad to train motivated candidates in psycholinguistic experimental methods.

Requirements: Willingness to contribute and be an active member of a dedicated experimental team.

Duration: Spring Semester 2012

Compensation: $12:50/hour or course credit

Contact: hackl@mit.edu

2/6/12
Sloan School of Management
Faculty Supervisor: Itai Ashlagi

Project Title: Market Design – Developing a Policy for Kidney Exchange

Project description: The project involves testing various policies  for kidney exchange. The project will  include coding (preferably in c#) and running simulations for finding kidney matches.  

Requirements: Programming skills and some knowledge in math or cs is an advantage.
 
Contact: Itai Ashlagi, Prof. of Operations Management, Sloan School of Management, iashlagi@MIT.EDU.

2/6/12
Department: Architecture
Faculty supervisor: Dr. Reinhard Goethert

Title: Off-Grid Energy for the Bayou

Pre-requisite:  Interest and commitment in project.

The workshop will explore a practical "off-grid" energy source in partnership with TRAC, (http://www.trac4la.com/TRAC1.1/page_lifthouse.php) an NGO in the bayous outside of New Orleans in Houma. We will examine ways to make elevators of elevated houses independent of the power grid. Solar panels, small wind turbines and regenerative power - driven by the kinetic energy of the elevator downward movement - will be explored as ways to provide power during the frequent electrical outages from hurricanes and storms. Perhaps this power source may also be sufficient for additional energy uses as well?

The research builds on the student designed Lift House for the bayous, of which even energy efficient houses have been constructed. We will build on this experience to continue to develop an all-encompassing energy efficient design appropriate to the conditions in the bayous.

Contact: Dr. Reinhard Goethert, Department of Architecture rgoethert@mit.edu

2/6/12
Media Lab, Fluid Interfaces Group
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Pattie Maes

Project Title: User Interfaces for Foldable and Rollable Touch Displays

Project Description: Rapid advances in display technologies will soon allow for producing very thin touch displays that can be folded and rolled, similar to paper. This has the potential to revolutionize how mobile devices are designed and interacted with. Our project aims at designing novel user interfaces for handheld devices that feature such displays. We explore future devices by simulating them with a tracking/projection setup. You can check out a video of one of our first prototypes here: http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/onepercent/2012/02/foldable-touchscreen-display.html.

We are looking for students to design and implement innovative interface concepts. This can involve realizing advanced physical prototypes (e.g., actuated paper displays) and/or novel interaction techniques and software interfaces.

Prerequisites: We are looking for two kinds of profiles:

1) Solid programming skills are required (C# or Microsoft Surface SDK is a plus). Experience in interaction design is required. Experience in building multitouch applications will be very useful, but is not critical. Students with experience in OpenGL, Direct3D or optical motion capture platforms are preferred.

2) Strong background in micro-controllers. Experience with sensors and actuators is required. Some experience in digital fabrication (3D printer, laser cutter) is a strong plus.

The UROP candidate(s) should be at the sophomore level or above. The position requires to devote a minimum of 10 hours/week.

Contact: Juergen Steimle (<lastname> at media dot mit dot edu) and visit our project website, Please send a 1-page resume and a cover letter describing your background and interest in this project.

Fluid Interfaces Group Website: http://fluid.media.mit.edu


2/3/12
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Chemical Engineering/Bradley Olsen Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Bradley Olsen

Project Description: We are developing a polymer templating protein thin film technology for a variety of applications with large societal impacts including detoxication of harmful chemical warfares as well as controlled release of theraputic proteins. In another area, glycoprotein plays vital roles both in the outside cells. We design glycoprotein materials to mimic nucleus membrane for selective transport of biomolecules and to mimic extracellular matrices for biomedical applications.

This UROP project involves developments of protein conjugations and polymer-protein nanopatterns. The UROP student will have the opportunity to learn a wide variety of techniques including controlled polymerization, bioconjugation chemistry, polymer self-assembly and patterning, and recombinant protein expression.

Prerequisites: organic chemistry 5.12 5.13; being familiar with basic organic synthesis techniques and a strong interest in exciting, cutting-edge materials research

Contact: Interested candidates should send a curriculum vitae along with a very brief description of your research interest and experience to Dr. Yan Xia (yan_xia@mit.edu)

2/3/12
UROP Lab: Media Lab/Mediated Matter Group
Faculty Supervisor: Neri Oxman

Project Title (temporary): Mosaic Printing

Project Description: 3D printing is an exciting and relatively new technology, though it is limited in the scale of the printed objects, mainly because it takes too much time to print big objects. The goal of the project is to build a new kind of 3D printer that will be able to print a full scale chair in less than one day.

The mediated matter research group is looking for talented, enthusiastic and motivated engineering students to help with this research. The students will use existing 3D printing technology, CAD and sketching in order to develop mechanisms and techniques for supporting the project.

Prerequisites: CAD (preferably Solidworks), knowledge in fabrication technologies.

Contact: Yoav - sterman@mit.edu ; please send CV or resume with list of skills (workshop machine skills and CAD) and short description of your interests.

2/2/12
UROP Department/Lab/Center: BCS/PILM
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Mark Bear

Project Title: Drug treatment of cognitive symptoms of Fragile X syndrome in mice.

Project Description: Fragile X syndrome is a single-gene disorder often associated with autism, and the Bear Lab studies the basic signaling mechanisms, synaptic plasticity, behavior, and other phenotypes in the mouse model of Fragile X. We have identified a receptor target for a potentially translatable drug treatment for the disorder; currently we are testing whether drugs targeting this receptor can correct certain symptoms of Fragile X syndrome in mice. Specifically, we are looking for a student who is able to invest 10+ hours per week to test whether drug treatment reverses cognitive and behavioral deficits. The majority of the spring term will be spent getting up to speed on the project and task; the student is expected to continue through the summer.

Prerequsites: 9.01 and availability to continue through summer 2012. No prior lab experience is necessary.

Contact: Please e-mail your resume and a short description of your interests to Mike Sidorov: msidorov@mit.edu.

2/2/12
UROP Department/Lab/Center: HST/Laboratory for Multiscale Regenerative Technologies
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Sangeeta Bhatia

Project Title: Exosome mediated genetic exchange at the hepatocyte-stroma interface

Project Description: We have designed molecular tools to investigate the role of exosomes, nanometer sized secreted vesicles, in mediating phenotypic stability of hepatocytes.  We are interested in determining the mRNA and microRNA profile of exosomes transferred between hepatocytes and the supporting stromal cells in vitro. Work will entail cell culture, molecular biology assays and microscopic imaging in collaboration with a postdoctoral fellow. This project will require some weekend work (an hour or so, not every weekend).

Prerequisites: Responsibility and good work ethic are required. A sophomore or freshman in biology or biological engineering who is looking for a long term project is preferred. Experience with cell culture is a bonus but not required.

Contact: Please send CV and a very brief description of career goals to Dr. Kathleen Christine (kchristi@mit.edu).

2/2/12
Department/Lab/Center: MIT Sea Grant
Faculty Supervisor: Judith Pederson

Project Title: Ocean Sciences Match Game

Project Description: MIT Sea Grant is looking for a Course 6 student, or an energetic, ocean-loving, web developer/designer from any department, to help develop and produce an online game. Our office runs the state-wide Blue Lobster Bowl--an ocean sciences academic quiz bowl that encourages high school students to learn all about the marine environment. We're also in the process of developing an online game that gives players the experience of participating in a buzzer round of the quiz bowl.

The game currently exists as a single player, browser-based experience. (http://osm.mit.edu) The phase of the project covered by this UROP includes refining the the single player mode and developing a multiplayer mode for the game. Project deadlines will be set at the start of the UROP, and adjusted as necessary. This is a paid position, and the UROP may be renewed beyond the fall semester, depending on performance.

Prerequisites: Candidates for this position must be familiar with JavaScript, PHP, HTML, and CSS. Knowledge of Flash and Qt is also highly desirable.

Contact: Please send an updated CV or resume, along with a letter indicating why you'd be a good fit for this opportunity, to vancott@mit.edu

2/1/12
Laboratory for Manufacturing and Productivity, Robotic Mobility Group
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Karl Iagnemma

Project Title: Experimental investigation of robots traction performance.

Project Description: The Robotic Mobility Group (RMG) is looking for a talented student to help in characterizing the performance of wheels and tracks in off-road conditions. Student will be in charge of conducting traction mechanics experiments, operating a fully instrumented testbed. The project will involve work with force sensors, strain gauges, actuators, encoders, and control software. Depending on the needs, student will be asked to design and fabricate new components in order to integrate and expand the testbed capabilities. This research is conducted in support of NASA Mars Exploration Rover (MER) and Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) missions. Work will be carried under the supervision of Dr. Karl Iagnemma (director of RMG) and Dr. Carmine Senatore (postdoctoral associate) and it starts, virtually, immediately.

Prerequisite: basic courses in dynamics, design, and fabrication are useful. Knowledge of Labview and Matlab is preferred. Enthusiasm and dedication over the Spring project warrants the potential for the project to continue into multiple semesters.

Contact: interested applicants should email senator@mit.edu with your resume and a cover letter.

1/31/12
Spring 2012
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Plasma Science & Fusion Center (PSFC)
Faculty Supervisor: R. Petrasso

Project Title: Software development for experimental data acquisition and recording

Project Description: The High-Energy-Density Physics (HEDP) Division http://www.psfc.mit.edu/research/hedp/ of the PSFC designs and implements experiments, and performs theoretical calculations, to study and explore the non-linear dynamics and properties of plasmas under extreme conditions of density (~1000 g/cc), pressure (~ 1000 gigabar), and field strength (~megagauss). In aid of this effort, numerous plasma diagnostics are being calibrated and developed at MIT with the use of an accelerator-based fusion products generator.

We are currently looking for a student to continue development of a SQL database and HTML/PHP front end, which is currently in use to record experimental conditions and data from the electrostatic accelerator.

Prerequisites: We are looking for a motivated student with prior experience in SQL/PHP; experience with HTML, Java, or C++ is an advantage but not required. Juniors/Seniors are preferred but highly motivated Freshmen/Sophomores are encouraged to apply. This project will be part-time, negotiable hours, during Spring 2012. If the student is interested this project could be extended into the next academic semester and/or summer 2012.

Contact: Richard Petrasso, petrasso@psfc.mit.edu, and Alex Zylstra, azylstra@psfc.mit.edu.

1/31/12
Department: Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Principal Research Scientist Henry Lieberman

Project Title: You Too?! – Using unsupervised probabilistic natural language processing & sociolinguistics to interpret teenagers' online discussions of digital abuse (i.e. sexting, bullying, trolling, relationship issues, etc.).

Project Description: The MIT Media Lab Software Agents Group is looking for a UROP to work on the You Too?! project. Help develop and test a story-matching platform. The You Too?! platform includes a web-application and a social network.

Requirements: We are looking for motivated individuals to be part of a short term project. Individuals with html5, javascript, jQuery, and good graphic design skills are encouraged to apply.

For individuals interested in:

Dates: The project will be completed by the end of the Spring semester; UROPs will begin during the Spring semester of 2012. 10+ hours per week spring.

Compensation: Credit or pay.

Contact: If you are interested please send an email to Birago Jones, birago@media.mit.edu and include a short statement of why you are interested in the project, the skills that you bring, examples of previous relevant work, and your current resume/CV.

Thank you in advance for your time and interest!

1/31/2012
Department: Materials Science and Engineering, Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies
Faculty Supervisor: Edwin L. Thomas

Title: Novel Direct Write Lithographic Strategies

The Thomas Group is looking for a motivated undergraduate for a research position this summer, or potentially the Spring and Summer based on student interest. I am a graduate student in the group currently working on novel direct write strategies for the fabrication of photonic, phononic, mechanical, and plasmonic structures.

The basic idea of the technique is that the high-intensity focal point of a focused laser beam is capable of exciting reactions, such as polymerization, crosslinking, or photoreduction of metals by linear and non-linear processes. By translating that focused point, it is possible to "write" nearly arbitrary structures in a variety of materials.

We would like a student to help us look into the effect of beam pulse parameters on the resolution of this technique in several resist systems. In addition, there are multiple other areas of technique strategy and device design, and other efforts that fit the interests of the student can be added to the project.

Contact: Jonathan Singer, jpsinger@mit.edu

1/31/12
Department/Lab: Sloan School of Management
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Roberto Fernandez

Project Description: This UROP offers the opportunity to assist with a mixed-method research on networking organizations and professionals. This position involves an early-stage research project which will include planning and executing a new research project that seeks to specify the conditions under which individual entrepreneurs activate network ties for generating business referrals. This project will use a combination of quantitative data and structured interviews.

This UROP will allow you to:

As a research assistant, you would be involved with helping to organize and code data, read and summarize current literature in sociology, networks, and management, and assist with logistics for the design and launch a new interview protocol. If the UROP proves qualified, they may be invited to actively participate in conducting fieldwork (e.g., conducting interviews, analyzing field data, etc.) during subsequent stages of research (likely summer or fall 2012).

Ideal candidates should have an interest and/or background in the social sciences (particularly sociology), management, and/or quantitative research methods. Specifically, experience with Excel is required. Candidates should be available to devote a minimum of 4-6 hours a week to this UROP opportunity. Strong writing, organization, and analytical skills desired.

Contact: Interested students should send a brief email describing their background and interest in this UROP to Mabel Abraham at mlba@mit.edu. Though not required, if available, please also include a resume.

1/30/12
Department: HST
Faculty Supervisor: Rakesh 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. 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 disarrangements 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).

Requirements: Applicants should preferably have some research experience and an interest in cancer research in general, and in tumor biology in particular. But above all, be enthusiastic and eager to learn and contribute to a research project addressing an important issue in the cancer field. The student should be able to commit to at least 10 hours per week in the lab and, ideally, be interested in continuing beyond the spring semester.

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 information: Joao Incio, MD. jincio@steele.mgh.harvard.edu

1/30/12
Department: Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Rosalind Picard

Project Title: StoryScape – A Social Narrative Platform

Project Description: The MIT Media Lab Affective Computing Group is looking for a UROP to work on the StoryScape project. Help develop and test an online/mobile graphic narrative story platform. The StoryScape platform includes a web-application and social network with a corresponding mobile application. Developed as a set of tools to help support language acquisition and expression for low-verbal and language delayed individuals on the autism spectrum. StoryScape is exploring how narratives are created, shared, remixed, and interacted with.

Requirements: We are looking for motivated individuals looking to be part of a longterm project. Individuals with python, Django, javascript, jQuery, and Android API experience are encouraged to apply. There are a number of exciting learning possibilities and the opportunity to take your own direction within the project.

For individuals interested in:
Web-applications
Social Networks
Mobile applications
Interaction design
User data analysis
Technologies to empower others

Dates: The project is ongoing; UROPs will begin during the spring semester of 2012 and potentially continue during the summer. 10+ hours per week spring, full time summer.

Compenstaiton: Credit or pay.

Contact: If you are interested please send an email to Micah Eckhardt, micahrye@mit.edu, and include a short statement of why you are interested in the project, the skills that you bring, examples of previous relevant work, and your current resume/CV.

1/30/12
Department/Lab/Center: Laboratory for Manufacturing and Productivity
Faculty supervisor: Prof. Martin Culpepper

Project title: Fabrication of nanomanufacturing equipment for automation of DNA combing and imprinting.

Openings: One UROP for Spring’12 and beyond.

Project description: This is a hands-on project that involves fabricating desktop-sized equipment for manufacturing automation. DNA combing and imprinting (DCI) is currently done via a series of manual stamping/imprinting steps; this limits the overall rate and quality of the process. The goal is to develop a scalable automation technique for improving the DCI yield. The work would involve: (i) fabricating/assembling a precision motion stage and the supporting equipment and (ii) testing/characterizing the stage for improved DCI yield.

Requirements:
(i) Time commitment of 9-12 hours/week and (ii) Preferable: prior experience in CNC machining and 3D CAD for machine design. Course 2 juniors would be given
preference.

This project is available for credit during Spring’ 12 and can be extended to summer.

Contact: If interested please send an email to Sourabh Saha (sksaha@mit.edu) including a resume/CV.

1/30/12
Department: MIT Sloan
Faculty Supervisor: Matthew Amengual

Project Title: Enforcing Environmental and Labor Regulations in Argentina

Project Description: Regulations that protect workers and the environment are key policies for promoting just and sustainable development. However, in most countries regulations are rarely enforced, undermining the ability of these policies to deliver on their promises. This project examines regulatory enforcement in Argentina, where there are relatively strong laws on the books, but these laws are often violated and enforcement is uneven. I am seeking a UROP student to work with me on developing studies of cases of success and failure in enforcement in order to develop a theoretical framework that can lead to improved regulatory implementation in a broad range of contexts. The UROP would work closely with me gathering and analyzing primary documents in Spanish from Argentina. Specifically, the UROP will systematically search archives of regional Argentine newspapers, government websites, and NGOs. Working within the analytical framework developed by the broader project, the UROP will learn out to take these diverse sources and analyze them as data with reference to theory. The UROP will learn about case study research, Latin America, labor and environmental issues, and will have a chance to utilize their language skills.

Requirements:
- Advanced Spanish reading, Intermediate Spanish writing and speaking
- An interest in environmental or labor issues

Contact Info: amengual@mit.edu

1/30/12
Department: Course 6/RLE
Faculty Advisor: Prof. Timothy Lu

Project Title: Synthetic biology for drug delivery

Project Description: The Synthetic Biology Group is seeking a UROP to work on an exciting project to apply synthetic biology to drug delivery. We are looking for a motivated self-starter to join the team for the long term and to work closely with our interdisciplinary team of researchers. The student will learn to design and carry out wet-lab experiments involving molecular cloning and mammalian cell culture. There are opportunities to assume increasing responsibilities and make intellectual contributions to the project.

Prerequisites: Experience in wet-lab and molecular biology techniques preferred but not required. We are looking for a student who can commit to at least 10 hours per week in the lab.

Contact: Please contact Prof. Timothy Lu (timlu@mit.edu) to apply.


1/27/12
Department: 21W
Faculty Advisor: Prof. Sasha Costanza-Chock

Project Title: VozMob (Mobile Voices / Vóces Móviles): collaborative design of mobile media to amplify marginalized voices.

Project Description: The MIT Center for Civic Media is looking for a UROP to work with the VozMob project: help community-based organizations use low-cost mobile phones to create and circulate powerful digital stories that amplify the voices of marginalized people. VozMob creates workshops and popular education style training materials as well as code, and builds community around media making and digital storytelling.

You will work with a diverse team of developers, designers, researchers, day laborers, household workers, and students to help design, code, test, document, and build community around various components of the VozMob project (http://vozmob.net). Current development areas include: GUI design for interactive voice applications menus; sms/mms gateway integration; drupal 7 migration; UX for hosted instance deployment, and more.

We are especially interested in UROPs who have a desire to use technology for social change, an interest in collaborative design, and a commitment to free and open source processes. Ideally you would also have skills in one or more of the following: 1. Drupal development, 2. graphic design, 3. media making (photo, video, interactive, comics, blogging) skills, 4. community organizing skills, 5. Spanish or Portuguese fluency a plus.

Dates: The project is ongoing; UROPs will begin during the spring semester of 2012 and potentially continue during the summer.

Contact: Prof. Sasha Costanza-Chock (schock@mit.edu) and include:
* short summary of your reasons for interest in the project and the skills you hope to contribute
* resume/cv
* links to portfolio or relevant projects
* summary of previous UROP experiences and references

1/27/12
Department: Media Lab, Changing Places Group
Faculty Advisor: Kent Larson

Project Title: RFID Apparel Tracking System

Project Description: The Changing Places group at the Media Lab is seeking UROPs for pay or credit for the Spring 2012 semester to work on the development on a RFID tracking system to monitor apparel use. The case study examines the frequency of use for mass customized vs. standard off-the-rack men’s dress shirts. The goal of this research is to determine whether or not a customized product (in this case men’s dress shirts) provide better utility (i.e., fit, function, aesthetics) than standard mass-produced products, therefore providing the potential for additional environmental and sustainability benefits.

UROPs will work on developing a tracking system that can unobtrusively track the use of shirts within the subject’s workplace for 3 months. A RFID antenna and reader will be placed at the entry/exit of the subject’s workplace in order to track each shirt worn each day. Each dress shirt will be catalogued and attached with a washable RFID tags for tracking purposes. The tags will be readable at a distance of over 10 feet (the width of a door). We will build a RFID reader station with Internet connectivity in order to provide real-time data to both experimenters and a subset of the subjects. The reader, antennae, and local plug-computer (that captures the data) will be integrated into one freestanding tower to be installed in each experimental location by the middle of the semester. UROPs will be expected to be involved in RFID tracking installation, shirt cataloging, and monitoring of the experiment. UROPs will have the opportunity to continue their research beyond the spring semester during user testing.

Prerequisites: UROPs with working knowledge or experience with RFID/UHF technology are preferred. We also seek candidates that are Python competent, web-development experience and Unix-like operating system experience.

Hours per week: Minimum of 10 hours per week

Project Website:http://cp.media.mit.edu/research/76-environmental-impacts-of-mass-customization

Contact: If you are interested please write an email to Ryan Chin, rchin@media.mit.edu, and include a short statement of why you are interested in the project, the skills that you bring, examples of previous relevant work, and your current resume/CV.

1/26/12
Department: Materials Science and Engineering
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Samuel Allen

Direct Supervisor: Alison Greenlee (palmtree@mit.edu)

Prerequisite: Experience with LabView and/or power electronics is preferred but not required.

Expected Time Commitment: 12 hours a week, for spring semester.

Compensation: Credit or pay.

UROP Overview: Learn how to design and build a LabView controlled power electronics setup for a high powered novel furnace. Implement simple feedback control schemes and learn trade-offs between different temperature monitoring apparatuses. The specific tasks and tentative itinerary for this position are listed below:

Contact: Alison Greenlee (palmtree@mit.edu)

1/25/12
Department: Physics (Laboratory for Nuclear Science)
Faculty Supervisor: Bruno Coppi

Project Title: High Energy Plasmas in the Universe and in the Laboratory

High energy plasmas are ubiquitous in the Universe and learning their physics is essential understand to understand important phenomena observed in the laboratory as well as in order to advance research on nuclear fusion reactors. The largest objects in the Universe, the so called Galaxy Clusters are in fact made mostly of plasmas whose temperatures are of the order of 10 ke V or higher. Black holes in our Galaxy are surrounded by plasmas that make them shine in the X and γ-ray range and exhibit characteristic behaviors. The Solar System is imbedded in the Heliosphere plasma.

At the Laboratory scale research on nuclear fusion has progressed to the point where reactors capable of reaching ignition have been designed making their construction a near term goal.

The work that is proposed will be theoretical or computational depending on the student's interest. The choice of a specific subject concerning either the Universe or the laboratory will be according to the student's interest as well. Financial support is available after a reasonable break-in period.

Prerequisites: First year courses in Physics

Contact: Meg Rheault, mrheault@mit.edu

1/25/12
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Faculty Supervisor: Matthew Wilson

Project Title: Learning enhancement using acoustic stimuli during sleep Project Description: In the movie Memento, the main character is unable to store new memories due to damage in a specific brain region, the hippocampus. The hippocampus stores new memories, and during sleep these memories are thought to be transferred to other brain regions for long-term storage. Our lab studies the hippocampus of rats, and using electrophysiology and behavioral assays we can learn about how memories are stored. If memories are transferred during sleep, can we manipulate this process to in turn affect learning. Recently in humans, it has been demonstrated that learning can be enhanced by playing sounds during sleep, when the task being learned use auditory cues. The goal of this project is to determine whether sounds can be used to improve learning in rats. The initial phase of the project will involve behavioral training of rats, with the option of getting involved with electrophysiology, histology, surgery, data analysis, and paper writing at later phases of the project.

Prerequisites: We are looking for a dedicated and enthusiastic student that can spend at least 10 hours per week to the project for at least 6 months. Research background (particularly in neuroscience) is a plus, and students interested in pursuing a career in neuroscience are highly encouraged to apply.

Contact: Please submit resume (including relevant courses and skills) and let us know when you would be available for a brief and informal interview: dbendor@mit.edu.

1/25/12
Department: Sloan
Faculty Supervisor: Itai Ashlagi

Project Title: Kidney Donation - narrowing the gap between supply and demand

Project description: The project involves aggregating and analyzing data from UNOS (united network for organ sharing). The project will involve working with STATA and analyzing data. An optional part will include writing software and performing simulations for finding kidney matches.

Requirements: Good knowledge in statistics. Easily work with excel and data. Advantage, but not must – knowledge of stats software (e.g. STATA). For the simulations part - excellent coding skills as well as ability to read and understand algorithms in order to able to implement them.

Contact: Itai Ashlagi iashlagi@MIT.EDU, Prof. of Operations Management, Sloan

1/24/12
Department: Chemical Engineering
Faculty Supervisor: Barry Johnston

Project Title: Alternative energy - modeling the Osmotic Heat Engine

Project Description: A suitable semi-permeable membrane will pass a flow of solvent between dilute and concentrated solutions. This osmotic flux can turn a turbine. ;If waste heat can drive a separator to re-constitute the two solutions, then we have a closed-cycle heat engine. The chemical properties are key to the practicality of such a device; it would be particularly appealing to use heat sources at temperatures too low for conventional power generation. Data for specific chemical systems are to be obtained from the literature.

Project (1) Create a model of the membrane and turbine units: inputs: inlet temperature, pressure, flowrate, and composition of solutions (from separator unit); geometry and features of the membrane unit; properties of the membrane outputs: solvent flux, outlet stream conditions, power.

Project (2) Create a model of the separator unit: inputs: inlet temperature, pressure, flowrate, and composition of solution (from membrane unit); geometry and features of the separator unit; target specifications of dilute and concentrated streams outputs: energy requirements; operating conditions.

Prerequisites: interest in energy, knowledge of ChE thermodynamics and transport phenomena, willingness to grapple with the technical literature. Experience with process simulation software is a plus.

This modeling project seeks two students for Spring 2012; credit UROP.

Contact: bsjohnst@mit.edu

1/24/12
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: César Hidalgo

Project Description: We are using multilingual data from platforms such as Twitter to learn about cross-cultural connections. We are looking for a student with experience in programming (coursework/own projects is fine) and a passion for the social sciences to help us improve our language detection module and take active part in our research. Our past projects gained vast media coverage and yielded papers, books, and displays in international exhibitions.

The Macro Connections group (http://macroconnections.media.mit.edu) focuses on the development of analytical tools that can help improve our understanding of the world's macro structures in all of their complexity. By developing methods to analyze and represent networks—such as the networks connecting countries to the products they export, or historical characters to their peers—Macro Connections research aims to help improve our understanding of the world by putting together the pieces that our scientific disciplines have helped to pull apart.

Requirements: programming background a must; experience with web scraping and data analysis a plus. Minimum 8-10 hours a week expected, flexible hours.

Contact: Shahar Ronen (sronen@media.mit.edu)

1/20/2012
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Kent Larson

We are currently working on a project to develop a system for farming in urban areas. The interactive farming module will serve as a platform for closing the loop between people and food. By bringing farming to urban areas, we will short-circuit the opacity of large-scale agriculture and create a feedback cycle for healthier, sustainable living.

We are working with the Boston Public School System to develop a prototype that proposes a system and curriculum to aid students in monitoring and caring for plants throughout the plant cycle using constructivist learning principles and augmenting implementation of STEM research in schools.

This is an exciting opportunity to be a part of a project that will be built and then tested by middle school students! It is a hands-on project, with a tangible outcome – and there is a great group of energetic people working towards this cause.

This project will involve R&D, rapid prototyping and implementation. We are looking for a student(s) with knowledge of programming/electrical engineering and demonstrable work with sensors and sensor systems. In particular we are looking to develop a plant monitoring sensor system to augment the project – the output of the sensor system will need to be visualized in a simplistic GUI for student use – design for web, tablet or mobile devices can be discussed. Interest/experience in horticulture/plants is a plus, but not necessary. Design sensibility and attention to detail is also an asset.

This UROP can be offered as a paid project or for credit during the Spring 2012 semester (and potentially beyond).

Contact: Please contact Jennifer Broutin – jbroutin@media.mit.edu for further details.

1/19/2012
Department: Linguistics and Philosophy
Faculty Supervisor: Donca Steriade

Project Title: Language of Thought

Project Description: The MIT Quantitative Research in Linguistics Group is investigating cognitive constraints on possible meanings in natural language. How does the way we conceive of the world influence the meanings encoded in the words and utterances of human language? We require dedicated students to help design, run and analyze experiments as well as implement statistical models capable of predicting human behavior. The successful applicant will receive extensive training in truth-conditional semantics, logic, probability theory and psycholinguistic experimentation utilizing artificial word learning and truth-judgment paradigms.

Prerequisites: All necessary training is provided. Applicants that have one or more of the following qualifications will be given priority: Programming skills (especially MATLAB, HTML and/or Python), classes in Linguistics, Brain and Cognitive Science, Philosophy, Mathematics or Computer Science, or a desire to pursue a career in academia. Contact us to apply.

Contact: graff@mit.edu

1/19/12
Department/Lab: Sloan School of Management
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Katherine Kellogg

Project Description: This UROP offers the opportunity to assist with qualitative research on healthcare organizations and professionals. This UROP involves two research projects, one later-stage and one early-stage:

1) Preparing a paper for publication that seeks to explain why, how, and when members of different occupational groups fail or succeed at collaborating to provide responsive patient care.

2) Planning and executing a new research project that seeks to specify the conditions under which healthcare organizations and professionals can provide quality, humanized care.

This UROP will allow you to:

As a research assistant, you would be involved with helping to organize, read, and summarize current literature in sociology, healthcare, and management, prepare fieldwork data for analysis, and assist with logistics for the design and launch a new field study. If the UROP proves qualified, they may be invited to actively participate in conducting fieldwork (e.g., conducting interviews and observation, analyzing field data, etc.) during subsequent stages of research.

Ideal candidates should have an interest and/or background in the social sciences (particularly sociology or anthropology), healthcare, management, and/or qualitative research methods and be available to devote a minimum of 4-6 hours a week to this UROP opportunity. Strong writing, organization, and analytical skills desired.

Contact: Interested students should send a brief email describing their background and interest in this UROP to Julia DiBenigno at julia_di@mit.edu. Though not required, if available, please also include a resume and/or writing sample (e.g., course assignments or term papers).

1/18/2012
Lab: Nuclear Reactor Laboratory
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Tom Newton

Project title: Optimization of Neutron Transmutation Doping

Project description: Currently, silicon ingots are processed in throughports at the MIT Nuclear Reactor in a once-through manner. Neutrons from the reactor cause transmutation of some of the silicon atoms, thereby doping them for use in electronic devices. This project involves analyzing the limitations of the current system and looking at alternative means of processing to meet the various doping resistivity requirements, including variation of push speed, multiple irradiation runs, and taking into account the neutron flux variations in the ports.

This paid project will require at least 10 hours/week.

Prerequisites: Must be motivated and able to work independently and develop optimization tools via Excel or other computational method. Interest in machine design a plus, but not required.

Contact: For more information, contact Tom Newton at tnewton@mit.edu.

1/18/2012
UROP Department: Sloan School of Management/Economics
MIT UROP Faculty Supervisor: Tavneet Suri

Project title: The role of tribe networks in politics: Evidence from the Kenyan case

Project description: The goal of the research project is to understand the role of tribe networks in Kenyan politics and, in particular, the extent of patronage that takes place through tribe networks. To be more precise, the project will address whether local government councils employ individuals that belong to the same tribe to compensate them for their political support.

The main tasks of the student will be the following: - in the first stage of the project, the student will help to organize an existing data base with the roster of public officials hired by local governments. The task will be undertaken in STATA. - in the second stage of the project, the student will perform a preliminary analysis of the data.

Prerequisites: Knowledge of STATA is a plus but not mandatory. Kenyan students are strongly recommended to apply for the position.

If interested please send your CV to Horacio Larreguy (larreguy@mit.edu)

1/18/2012
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Faculty Supervisor: Ki Ann Goosens

Project Title: Fear Extinction mechanisms

Project Description: Extinction of fear memories is essential for termination of fear responses and in the clinic, it is used as a strategy for the treatment of psychiatric diseases based on fear, such as phobias, panic attacks, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. It is crucial to understand the mechanisms of fear extinction, which may well contribute to the discovery of new therapies for anxiety-type disorders. We are studying fear extinction by exploring the formation of new memories on every level of neuroscience; from genes to neurons to behavior. The project involves learning of several techniques from molecular biology to behavior.

Prerequisites: Curiosity, enthusiasm and time! Specific skills will be taught throughout your time in the lab. We are looking for students who can participate in lab 12+ hours a week during the semester and at least 30 hours a week during IAP and summer. Students who will be here at MIT for at least 1.5 years are strongly encouraged to apply.

Contact: Susana Correia, scorreia@mit.edu

1/13/12
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Sloan School of Management
Faculty Supervisor: Fiona Murray

Project Description: There is often a limited amount of private, for-profit capital available to early-stage entrepreneurial projects in areas such as energy, water and disease because neither pure philanthropic nor pure profit motives are sufficient to justify investment. Traditional explanations for funding gaps at this stage fail to recognize that the gap is not only one of risk but also a poor matching between the social and private interests of “investors” and the types of vehicles that might allow a mix of philanthropic and financial motives to sit side-by-side. The development of such approaches have the potential to advance many areas of science and engineering that hold solutions to global issues, such as health, environment, water, and energy.

What are the most appropriate financial tools and organizational structures that are currently being used or that could be developed at the intersection of for-profit and nonprofit legal boundaries to address the early-stage funding gaps in technology innovation directed towards solving problems in energy and beyond? What is the legal nature of such approaches, how do they support or challenge existing approaches, and what are the sociological boundaries that must be navigated in order to mix for-profit and altruistic perspectives in a single investment?

Tasks:
(1) Continue to build and organize an Excel workbook of all grants made from private foundations to universities (data scraped from the Foundation Center Directory, 2003-2011) that rank among the top 50 sites for science and engineering research (as identified by the NSF Science & Engineering indicators) in 2008.

(2) Find and record funding sources for all science and engineering research that subsequently earned the Nobel Prize, whether from the government, private sector, or philanthropy.

Preferences: Undergraduate juniors or seniors only, Economics majors preferred,
Excellent Excel/Stata skills required, Regression analysis ability preferred

Contact:
Project RA: Sarah Wood – swood@mit.edu
Project PI: Fiona Murray – fmurray@mit.edu

1/13/12
UROP Department/Lab/Center: BE/LCBB
Faculty Supervisor: Mark Bathe

Project Title: CanDoIt: An Online Web-based Game for Nucleic Acid Nanotechnology

Project Description: We recently introduced a powerful computational technology for the design of nucleic acid based nanostructures CanDo: Computer-aided engineering for DNA origami (http://cando-dna-origami.org and Castro et al., Nature Methods, 2011; Kim et al., Nucleic Acids Research, 2012). In order to crowd source the conception, design and fabrication of complex nucleic acid based nanostructures we are now developing an online web-authoring tool and game for players to compete for best realizations of specific nucleic acid based designs. This game will parallel the highly successful online game FoldIt (http://fold.it) for protein design developed in part by the Baker Lab at the University of Washington. Applications include biosensors, drug delivery vehicles, scaffolds for solar energy harvesting, and scaffolds for multi-enzyme pathways.

Prerequisites: Experience with online or digital games and programming a plus.

Contact: Please send a CV plus one letter of reference to mark.bathe@mit.edu

1/13/12
UROP Department/Lab/Center: HST
Faculty Supervisor: Bruce Rosen

Project title: Simultaneous MR-PET imaging

Project description: In the simultaneous MR-PET imaging laboratory at the Martinos Center we are working on developing and validating this novel technology, on identifying and implementing methods to best exploit the combined data and on applying these to studies in patients. Examples of ongoing projects include the development and validation of methods for MR-based PET attenuation correction for neurological and whole-body applications, MR-assisted PET motion and partial volume effects correction and image-based radiotracer arterial input function estimation. We deal with a variety of clinical pathologies and we have ongoing studies aimed at demonstrating the benefit of these methods in brain tumor, Alzheimer';s disease and breast tumor patients. In addition, we are collaborating with many investigators interested in exploring other promising applications of this new imaging modality. Although we focus mostly on the basic science and translational aspects, our work is well geared to undergraduate students interested in pursuing medically oriented careers who are looking to gain advanced understanding of quantitative MR and PET imaging techniques and are interested in using these tools to tackle clinically relevant problems.

Prerequisites: The UROP will assist in scanning subjects as well as processing and analyzing data. To this end, applicants should have an interest in medicine and/or medical imaging as well as experience with data analysis programming (C++, C, Matlab, etc). Basic understanding of human physiology, statistics, and linear algebra are encouraged, but not required. Juniors and seniors are encouraged to apply, but motivated underclassmen are also welcome.

Time commitment: At least 10 hours of work a week is required, however "work" does not necessarily mean time spent in the office as some work can be done remotely.

Contact: Interested candidates should send a brief statement of research interests and curriculum vitae to Bruce Rosen MD, PhD, (bruce@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu).

1/13/12
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Brain & Cognitive Sciences
Faculty Supervisor: Nancy Kanwisher

Project Title: Vision & eye movements and imaging the autistic brain

Project Description: The Kanwisher Lab (http://web.mit.edu/bcs/nklab/) is looking for a motivated, responsible, and curious for-credit UROP for spring 2012. You would work on two projects, one investigating visual processing after eye movements and the other examining neural and behavioral differences in the brains of people with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Specifically, the eye movement project involves a series of behavioral, eye-tracking, and neuroimaging experiments aimed at understanding how the brain organizes information about the visual world, and how it reorganizes after disruptions in visual input caused by eye movements. For the Autism project, we are examining how high-level visual processing, language processing, and domain-general reasoning are implemented in the Autistic brain compared to the typical brain -- both in children and in adults. You will work closely with a postdoctoral researcher (Julie Golomb; http://web.mit.edu/~jgolomb/www) and a lab manager (Alex Kell).

Depending on your skills/interests and our needs, you may be primarily writing code and/or running behavioral and fMRI experiments. Additional responsibilities include helping to review the relevant literature, creating experimental materials, and helping with data analyses. You will learn how to design and conduct fMRI, eye-tracking, and behavioral experiments, how to analyze and critically evaluate experimental data, and how to present research results.

Prerequisites: We are looking for a responsible, motivated, and curious student who can commit to at least 10 hours per week in the lab and,ideally, is interested in continuing beyond the spring semester. The applicant will ideally be available for a 3-4 hour block of time on Monday afternoons. Preference is given to students who have taken some classes in psychology / cognitive science / neuroscience. Programming skills (especially Matlab) and prior fMRI experience are a plus, but not essential.

Contact: Contact Alex Kell at alexkell@mit.edu. In your email, please briefly describe your background and/or attach a resume and let us know when you might be available for an interview.

1/11/12
Department: Economics
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Robert Townsend

Project description: This project involves preparing data for use in a newly created web application that will allow users to visualize and query extensive GIS data from Thailand. The data to be imported, formatted, and uploaded includes Socioeconomic Survey (SES) conducted by the National Statistical Office; Community Development Department (CDD) data on economic conditions, labor, education, and health; and bank location data. Other datasets will be added in later stages of the project.

The project will begin in January and will extend into the spring. The RA would be expected to work approximately 8 hours per week for the duration. The RA will report to the Project Supervisor, Xiaowen Yang, and the Faculty Supervisor, Robert Townsend.

Qualifications: This position will require the ability to import data from different formats to Stata, process data (aggregate, identify outliers, etc.) and export data to Microsoft Access. Individual must be proficient utilizing Stata, with strong understanding of basic statistics conceptions. Ability to program Stata Marco and knowledge of SQL are required. A student with proven experience in statistics or economics is preferred.

The candidate should be committed to the project. While it is understood that the RA will have other commitments besides this project, it is important for the RA to be responsible in his work and be committed to the timeline agreed on with the project supervisor, and to communicate in a timely manner with the project supervisor.

Contact: If you have questions, please contact the Project Supervisor, Xiaowen Yang at xiaoweny@mit.edu.

1/11/12
Department: Economics
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Robert Townsend

Project description: This project will work closely with the Consortium on Financial Systems and Poverty’s (CFSP) policy fellow at MIT to build out data summaries and country overviews of financial systems. CFSP works to improve the lives of the world’s poor and to reduce poverty through helping to identify, define and develop efficient financial systems.

Working with the policy fellow this research assistant will be responsible for collecting key indicators on both the supply and demand side of the financial system for sample countries. This involves searching over available data, downloading the identified data, constructing databases, and creating summary statistics. The data summary will be used by the CFSP in communication and outreach efforts.

The project will begin in January and will extend into the spring. The RA would be expected to work approximately 10-15 hours per week for the duration. The RA will report to the Policy Fellow, Kenichi Ueda, and the Faculty Supervisor, Robert Townsend.

Qualifications: This position will require the ability to interpret a wide range of micro and macro data. The individual will be expected to search for and access data in a number of different formats. Candidates must be proficient in Excel and Stata (other language skills are plus) and experience working with complex data sets. He/she should have a strong understanding of basic statistics and the ability to effectively represent data and trends using different tools.

This position requires the ability to work independently, think strategically, have good data intuition, and possess strong communication skills.

Contact: If you have questions, please contact the Program Director, Natalie Hoover at nhoover@uchicago.edu.

1/11/12
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Synthetic Neurobiology Group, MIT Media
Lab and the McGovern Institute for Brain Research
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Ed Boyden

Project Title: Molecular Engineering for Controlling Cellular Function

Project Description: Optogenetics has opened a new era in studying cellular events by applying light-activated biomolecules found in nature to controlling
biology. These molecular tools provide a unique way of tackling biological problems by assessing the causal role of physiological properties. This UROP position will be an opportunity to participate in the development and characterization of optogenetic molecular tools. The student will be trained in designing optogenetic experimental setup and perform wet-lab experiments including cell culture, optical assays, and data analysis.

Prerequisites: Wet-lab experience including mammalian cell culture, DNA transfection, and molecular cloning techniques. Previous experience in developing and optimizing biological assays is preferred. Knowledge in optics and electrical circuits is a plus. We require 15-20 hours/week with a minimum 1 year commitment, 2+ year commitment preferred.

Contact: Interested applicants should send a cover letter, resume, and transcript (unofficial is ok) to Ed Boyden, esb@media.mit.edu

1/4/12
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Rosalind Picard

Project Description: We are looking for a student with background and some experience in signal processing to assist in data analysis of EEG and autonomic nervous system data. The data is obtained from infants at high risk for autism (due to having an older sibling diagnosed with autism), at 8 time points between the age of 2 weeks and 30 months. Wrist and ankle ANS monitors (measuring electrodermal activity that indicates sympathetic nervous system activity) are work throughout the 4-5 hour visit, including during the EEG. Analysis of ANS and EEG data will be done separately and together. The study also involves multiple other serial measures including neuromotor and neurocognitive testing and immune and metabolic measures.

This project will be under the auspices of the MIT Media Lab in collaboration with the TRANSCEND Research Program and Lurie Family Autism Center of Mass General Hospital where the data collection occurs. The Principal Investigator of the MGH side of this project is Martha Herbert, with Margaret Bauman as partnering PI.

Requirements and Prerequisites: Coursework and some practice in signal processing, ability to work in Matlab and (for EEG analyses) in Linux.

Contact: Martha Herbert (MHERBERT1@partners.org) and Sara Golas (sgolas@partners.org)