Undergraduate Research Opportunities with MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative

Multiple Undergraduate Student Openings, 2019 IAP and Spring

UROP Department, Lab or Center: MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative
MIT Faculty Supervisor Name: Prof. John E. Fernández and others
Multiple Projects: ESI Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP)

The MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative (ESI) sponsors and manages research positions available to undergraduates interested in a wide variety of environmental topics. These research experiences are organized by the ESI in collaboration with all five schools at MIT and dozens of professors and many research labs across the Institute. Any undergraduate in any major, including undeclared, are eligible to apply for a UROP through the ESI. The mission of the ESI includes activities that support the substantial scientific, engineering, policy, and design capacity of MIT to create solutions to today’s environmental challenges. ESI UROPs are a key element of this mission.

Research opportunities are available in each of the following three domain areas:

• Climate science and Earth systems
• Cities and infrastructure
• Sustainable production and consumption

Detailed descriptions of each of these areas is available on the ESI web site; https://environmentalsolutions-mit-edu.ezproxyberklee.flo.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/ESIAgenda_rev.-10-2018.pdf

Active ESI program research opportunities

Currently, the following programs are accepting interest from prospective UROP candidates. All of these topics are regularly updated and may change as projects are completed and new opportunities arise. You may specify one or more areas of interest in your initial contact with the ESI (see below for the Application process).

1. Plastics and the Environment (Sustainable Production and Consumption)

The ESI has launched a large-scale effort to contribute to the multi-faceted challenge of plastic in the environment. The project is comprised of work in three areas; 1) Material design for environmentally benign plastics; 2) Sensing microplastics in the environment and; 3) Modeling the primary sources and dispersion of microplastics.  UROP supervisor: various professors and ESI staff

2. Mining and the Environment (Sustainable Production and Consumption)

The ESI has launched a program focused on reducing the environmental impact of mining across the world. The program is in the initial stage reviewing the scientific and engineering literature and articulating a research agenda for a major mining conglomerate. UROP supervisor: various professors and ESI staff

3. Nature and Climate Change (Climate science and Earth systems)

The ESI is working on topics in biodiversity, the reduction of deforestation, community engagement in protecting fragile ecosystems, and other elements of the relationship between nature and the climate. One of ESI’s primary partners, Conservation International, has hosted students as guests in field stations in the development of technologies that aid conservation efforts. Emerging projects within ESI’s portfolio include a project to address river pollution in Indonesia and a project to reduce deforestation in Colombia. UROP supervisor: Prof. Fernández and other MIT professors and researchers

4. Cities and Climate Change (Cities and Infrastructure)

The ESI offers opportunities through several cities including New York City, Beijing, Chengdu, Hong Kong, Ben Guerir (Morocco) and others in a variety of topics ranging from measures of resilience and sustainability to mitigating carbon emissions and adaptation to climate change. UROP supervisor: Prof. Fernández and other MIT professors and researchers

5. Climate Change in the US (Climate science and Earth systems)

The ESI engages communities across the US in understanding and considering the consequences of a changing climate. Goals of the work include increasing the salience of climate change for people in their daily lives across a wide range of socioeconomic, political, and cultural perspectives. UROP supervisor: Laur Hesse Fisher (ESI) and others

Application process

The ESI will directly host UROP candidates in any of the research opportunities listed above. The ESI will also assist students in connecting with professors and researchers across the Institute working in issues that align with ESI priorities and serve to advance work in key domain areas and programs.

Please take the following steps in applying to an ESI UROP:

1. Send an email to Prof. John E. Fernández, fernande@mit.edu, stating your general interest and your preferred program research opportunity. Please list more than one and as many as three preferences for better placement in an appropriate research opportunity.
2. Fill out the major sections of the UROP application and send a draft to Prof. Fernández (contact information below). Major sections of the UROP application include:
   1. Project Overview
   2. Personal Role and Responsibility
   3. Goals
   4. Personal Statement
3. The ESI will confirm a UROP supervisor and approve final UROP application.
4. Candidate will then upload a final UROP application to the UROP web site at: http://mv.ezproxy.com.ezproxyberklee.flo.org/research-exploration/urop/options/urop-find-projects-apply

All applicants should also follow the procedure outlined on the UROP web site which aligns with the process outlined above. Please direct all questions to Prof. Fernández.