Funded by the Barbara Y. White Fund through the Graduate School of Education, this work has been designed by Laleh Coté, a doctoral student in the SESAME program. Laleh will serve as the main point of contact, and Dr. Alan Schoenfeld (Graduate School of Education) will serve as the supervisor of record. Co-authors on this research include Dr. Anne Baranger (College of Chemistry), Dr. Elisa Stone (CalTeach), Colette Flood (Berkeley Lab), Max Helix (SESAME), and Erica Dettmer-Radtke (Colorado School of Mines).

Undergraduate research experiences (UREs) allow students to develop a skill set linking their coursework to professional opportunities and are fundamental to the pursuit of a career in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Although the exposure to hands-on technical skills can be observed directly, student learning gains and the impact of these programs on students’ careers are more challenging to measure. Our goal is to measure outcomes beyond the information that can be gathered from the standard self-report survey, and this work includes literature searches, writing, data collection, survey administration, in-person interviews, data analysis, interview transcription, and data visualization. We hope this will lead to the improvement of research-based educational programs that will make an impact on the students they serve, and encourage students from a wide variety of backgrounds to pursue and persist in careers in STEM fields.

Strong applicants will have a demonstrated interest and/or experience in science education, education, journalism, writing, communication, or STEM/education outreach. Previous experience with science education is not required. Interest in learning more about this topic and making a meaningful contribution to this work is more valuable than prior experience.

Requirements: Students at UC Berkeley, pursuing a degree at either the undergraduate or graduate level, are eligible to apply. If you have not already taken the CITI Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) course online, you will be required to do so. You will be paid for the time it takes to complete this online course.

Compensation: $16.50/hour.

Time Commitment: With some minor variability, this position will work 8 hours/week. Ideally, applicants will be willing to dedicate time to this project in both Fall 2017 and Spring 2018 semesters, but this is not a requirement.

Application: Please send a cover letter that addresses your interest and/or qualifications, a current curriculum vitae (CV), and 1-2 writing samples of your choosing. Send this information to [email protected] through Google Drive or via email.