Are you interested in participating in a paid undergraduate research experience this summer?

The Cross-Border Threat Screening and Supply Chain Defense (CBTS) is seeking rising juniors and seniors for the Summer Research Institute (SRI).

Program Overview

The CBTS Summer Research Institute (SRI) will provide opportunities for promising STEM undergraduate students from across the United States to develop hands-on technical skills and conduct research to support the missions of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Students will be placed into teams led by highly qualified faculty from the Texas A&M Universities across the Texas A&M University System and Texas A&M AgriLife Research, which is also part of the A&M System. The 10-week program (May 28 - August 2, 2024) for students will be held in-person at the Texas A&M University System RELLIS Campus in Bryan (Central Texas) for cybersecurity students, and at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Weslaco (South Texas) for biothreat defense students.

In addition to hands-on work in the laboratory, students will also participate in weekly meetings centered on different topics of interest to undergraduates. These meetings will include guest speakers who will present on different research topics and job opportunities in their fields, lessons on how to read research papers, the responsible conduct of research/ethics, how to competitively apply to graduate school, and improving scientific communication skills such as giving “elevator” or “back of the envelope” pitches on their work. Students will prepare final research papers and present their research at the end of the program.

Activities for each focus area will take place in person at their respective campus with field trips scheduled intermittently. Limited housing is available to students, please inform us if housing is needed.

Prerequisites

Rising/current junior or senior at an accredited institution of higher education within the United States
Enrolled in a degree plan related to the research area
U.S. Citizenship

Student Expectations

Be on-site during the entire 10-week period and actively participate in all activities. Normal working hours are 8:30 to 4:30 Monday - Friday, with a 1-hour lunch break.
Actively participate in the projects as part of a team. On some parts of the project you will be a team leader, while on other parts you will be a team member.
As a team, prepare a project development execution plan, including milestones.
As a team, prepare a weekly summary of tasks completed, tasks anticipated for the next week, and problems that may have occurred and need to be resolved. This should be tied to the execution plan.
Actively engage in preparation of the final report and final project presentation.

Compensation

This is a paid internship. Housing will be made available to students from outside the local area.

Important Dates

Student Researcher Application Closes: March 8, 2024
Student Researcher Interview Notifications: Week of March 18, 2024
Student Researcher Interviews: Week of March 25, 2024
Summer Research Institute Begins: May 28, 2024
Summer Research Institute Concludes: August 2, 2024
Final Reports Submitted: August 9, 2024

Application

In order to be considered for the CBTS SRI, complete this application by March 12, 2024 by 5:00 PM CST.

If you have any questions, please reach out to CBTS@ag.tamu.edu