The DOE Scholars Program offers unique opportunities that introduce students or post-graduates to the agency’s mission and operations. Participants in the DOE Scholars Program gain a competitive edge as they apply their education, talent and skills in a variety of scientific research settings within the DOE complex. Appointments are available in a variety of disciplines at participating DOE facilities nationwide.

Being selected as a DOE Scholar offers the following benefits:

• Career possibilities with the nation’s leading sponsor for scientific research
• Opportunities to learn from top scientists and subject matter experts
• Stipends of up to $650 per week (depending on academic status)
• Travel arrangements to and from appointment site

Applicants must be US Citizens and undergraduates, graduates or post-graduates of an accredited college or university.  The program is open to majors in: Engineering; Physical Sciences; Environmental Sciences; Computer Science and Information Technology; Physics; Business; Policy; Program Management; Mathematics; Statistics; Safety and Health; Accounting and Finance; Law; Communications; and other related areas.

Want to learn more about the DOE Scholars program? E-mail doescholars@orise.orau.gov or visit website.

Meet John. He is a Bioinformatics and Computational Biology major and a researcher in the Undergraduate Biology and Mathematics (UBM) training program. His research attempts to document cases of gene flow between closely-related species of birds, particularly the Baltimore Oriole and the Mexican black-backed Oriole.

What research experiences have you had? 
I have been a part of the Undergraduate Biology and Mathematics (UBM) training program since last December. For UBM, I work in Dr. Kevin Omland’s lab and focus on resolving phylogenetic trees using species tree algorithms and parallel computing. Also, within the Omland Lab, I assist other laboratory researchers by going out in the field to record and catch birds.

How did you find the research opportunity? 
I actually found out about UBM through an email that Dr. Omland sent out! He was looking for a computational biology researcher to join the UBM program, and I jumped at the opportunity.

Who did you work with on this project?
I work with Tylynn Pettrey, who is an undergraduate and my partner in the UBM program. I also work with Dr. Omland, Dr. Matthias Gobbert in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, and Dr. Frode Jacobsen in the Omland Lab.

Was this your first independent research project?
Yes it was!

Do you get course credit for this work? Paid? How much time do you put into it?
I do get course credit and I am paid. I put in between 8 and 12 hours a week during the semester.

What academic background did you have before you started?
I had a very diverse scientific background when I started in the lab. As a Bioinformatics major, I took courses in biology, computer science, chemistry, and mathematics - nearly all of the courses have paid off in some way or another.

How did you learn what you needed to know to be successful in this lab?
The biology and computer science courses I took were extraordinarily helpful in learning about my research topic and being able to implement the specific computer programs that I use. Also, the UBM program uses a mentor program in which older students “train” new members during their first semester on the project. My mentor, Leila Kazerooni, helped me learn more about the details of the project and taught me what I needed to know to become independent.

What was the hardest part about your research?
The hardest part is making everything work! I use many computer programs on a daily basis, and sometimes they do not all work the way I want. Solving the problems that subsequently arise is the most challenging part for me.

What was the most unexpected thing?
The most unexpected thing was the amount of traveling I have gotten to do. Within the last 5 months, I have gone to Puerto Rico, Chicago, and the Appalachian Mountains - all for research. When I first began work on my project, I had no idea that I would be able to go to all those places in the name of science. Being able to see and experience them has been the most unexpected reward my research has offered me.

What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research?
Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there! Professors are always looking for students who are interested and engaged, but the only way they can tell if you are interested is for you to make the first move.

What are your career goals?
Right now, I am focused on getting into graduate school and pursuing a doctorate. As of right now, I am unsure of a full-time career path, but I know I do enjoy evolutionary biology in general. I can certainly see myself in a career relating to that field sometime in the future.

What are you doing next for research?
For the next semester, I will be continuing to work in the Omland lab on my UBM project.

What else are you involved in on campus?
I am involved all over the place! I am the Vice President of the Honors College Council (and a member of the Honors College), part of the orientation team as a Woolie, as well as a teaching assistant for Cell Biology and a computer science tutor. I also play the viola in the UMBC Community Symphony Orchestra and swim for the newly founded Swim Club.

Have you shared the results of your work with professionals in the field?
Yes I have! I traveled to the American Ornithological Union Meeting in Chicago, Illinois this August to present my research to professionals in the field of ornithology. I also recently presented at the South Eastern Population, Ecology and Evolutionary Genetic (SEPEEG) Conference in Mountain Lake, Virginia to an audience of evolutionary biologists.

Read his abstract here...

from "The Middlebury Campus"
Middlebury College

(Not So) Safe Space

by Guest Contributor / op-ed (1) in Opinions / October 9, 2013

Meet Paul. He is a History major and a current Undergraduate Research Award (URA) scholar. His research focuses on Russian Civil War propaganda posters and their effects on Cold-War and post-Cold War history.

How did you find your mentor for year research project?
I had a class with Dr. Kate Brown. 

How did you know this was the project you wanted to do?
I have been interested in the Soviet Union since I was six. For a very long time, I have wanted to do in-depth research on the Russian Civil War.

Is this your first independent research project?
I have completed two other pieces of research on my other interest, which is China’s rise. I have already written a 75-page paper on the People’s Liberation Army-Navy, and a paper on the Sino-Australian relationship.

Do you get course credit for this work? How much time do you put into it?
This URA also doubles as a History honors thesis. During the summer I lived in DC, and I went to the Library of Congress on a weekly basis. I also am reading books for my research for a significant portion of my day.

How did you hear about the Undergraduate Research Award (URA) program?
Through the Sondheim Scholars program.

What academic background did you have before you applied for the URA?
I have taken a few years of Russian and I have taken most of the Russian history courses offered at UMBC.

Was the application difficult to do?
It was moderately hard. Coming up with a research question that is doable in one year is very challenging. My mentor was very helpful in the process of writing the proposal.

What has been the hardest part about your research? What was the most unexpected thing?
The hardest part was finding materials that deal with this issue. The most unexpected was finding out how many religious symbols that the supposedly atheist Communist Party used in its propaganda.

What else are you involved in on campus?
Debate Team, Model UN Team, History Student Council, Jewish Student Union and trying to manage two other majors, one minor, and two certificate programs.

What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research?
Finding a good mentor is critical. If you want to get a good mentor, stand out in a class that the mentor teaches and take it from there. Additionally, it would help if your mentor is your major adviser. 

Read his abstract here...

Though the researchers point that the study's sample wasn't representative of the U.S. population, the findings are potentially groundbreaking. Pew Research Center reports:

"Do conventional public opinion surveys under-report the proportion of gays and lesbians in the population? And do they underestimate the share of Americans who hold anti-gay views?

A team of researchers from Ohio State and Boston Universities say the answer to both questions is yes.

“We find substantial under-reporting of LGBT  [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] identity and behaviors as well as underreporting of anti-gay sentiment …even under anonymous and very private conditions,” the researchers wrote in a working paper just published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

The study was conducted by economists Katherine B. Coffman and Lucas C. Coffman of Ohio State University and Keith M. Marzilli Ericson of Boston University

They used a novel research method that, in addition to the usual privacy and anonymity afforded by the best practice survey techniques, goes further and makes it virtually impossible to connect individual respondents with their answers to sensitive questions. They call this technique the “Veiled Report” method.

Then they compared their findings with the results obtained as part of the “Veiled Report” experiment with responses from a control group that answered questions posed in a more conventional way. Their goal was to see how social desirability bias—the tendency for people to not to reveal behaviors or attitudes that they fear may be viewed as outside the mainstream—may affect reporting on these sensitive topics..."

Read more from the Pew Research Center by clicking "Visit Website" below.