Author: Samuel A. Rebelsky
Version: 2012-12-06
This document summarizes selected summer opportunities for students interested in doing projects related to computer science and computing. It is not intended to be comprehensive. And, while I strive for accuracy, I do not guarantee the accuracy of any of the information in this document.
This document may be found on the Web at
http://www.cs.grinnell.edu/~rebelsky/Department/cs-summer.html
and
http://www.cs.grinnell.edu/~rebelsky/Department/cs-summer.pdf
This document is certainly not the only resource available to you. Here are some other useful sites:
http://www.grinnell.edu/academic/divisions/science/summer/scisumres-offcampus
http://www.cra.org/ccc/uro-zone
http://cra-ccc.org/ugresearchopps/.
http://www.cra-w.org/dreu/. (Deadline unknown; typically early February.)
http://cerebro.xu.edu/summerinternships.html. It has not yet been updated for summer 2013, but many programs last for many years..
http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/reu_search.cfm. You should focus on the CISE category, but you may want to look at other things too.
Contents:
I hear from alums who have gone to industry and academe and from potential employers that it is increasingly difficult to get good CS-related positions without significant extracurricular experiences. Summer provides one such opportunity, but you should also consider working on an open-source project or other significant project, such as what the AppDev team does. I hear from some alums that it's important to have at least one off-campus experience.
Getting a good opportunity requires work. You'll need to spend time identifying potential opportunities (talking to people, calling, emailing, searching on Google, etc.). You'll need to spend time developing a strong application.
Warning! Deadlines for many programs are typically in early February. You should plan to apply to research programs during Winter break.
Warning! While deadines are in early February, many places don't post opportunities until early January. You will need to check sites a few times and may have to follow up with email.
International students: Some choices for summer work have visa implications. You should talk to Karen Edwards asap about your plans so that she can help you navigate the paperwork and meet deadlines.
As you investigate summer opportunities, you should consider your goals (both short term and long term). In particular, you should consider what you hope to get from the summer. Do you want to learn more about the discipline? Do you want to exercise your skills? Do you want to investigate a possible career? Do you just want to make money? Do you want to escape from Grinnell? Do you want to experience how Grinnell is different in the summer? Do you want to program or do you want to explore a different side of computing?
To help you meet your goals, I've tried to note some particular advantages and disadvantages of each kind of program.
Advantages
Disadvantages
Contacts:
Janet Davis
davisjan@cs.grinnell.edu;
Samuel A. Rebelsky
rebelsky@grinnell.edu;
Henry Walker
walker@cs.grinnell.edu;
Jerod Weinman
weinman@cs.grinnell.edu. Note that not all faculty will be offering summer opportunities. There will be a talk in early spring about these opportunities.
Advantages
Disadvantages
Contacts:
John David Stone
stone@cs.grinnell.edu
Advantages
Disadvantages
Contact: Shonda Kuiper, kuipers@math.grinnell.edu, Chair of Mathematics and Statistics, should have a list of Math faculty who will be supervising summer MAPs; Jeff Blanchard, blanchj@grinnell.edu, may be supervising a programming-oriented MAP. Again, more details will be availble in early spring.
ITS typically hires a few students to work on a variety of projects over the summer, including help desk. We don't know how many students they plan to hire this summer.
Advantages
Disadvantages
Contact:
John Hammond, hammondj@grinnell.edu, and Ralph Helt heltr@grinnell.edu.
There are, of course, a variety of other jobs available on campus students who are really interested in staying at Grinnell. Some of these jobs may have a computing component. You will need to spend some effort finding these jobs and convincing appropriate folks to hire you. I have been told that the library, admissions, and the security department often have the most opportunities.
The National Science Foundation sponsors a number of REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) projects nationwide. The NSF site can provide you with some pointers, including some that are nearby. The CS faculty know folks at DePauw, Harvey Mudd, and Hope.
Advantages
Disadvantages
Contact: Individual institutions. See the list at NSF,
http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/reu_search.cfm,
for more details.
Institutions we've tend to know better include DePaul, DePauw, Harvey Mudd, Hope, and Iowa State.
You should talk to career services about potential internships. You should also search on the Web and using other resources. Grinnell students have done internships with a wide variety of companies.
Some students have also had good luck contacting alumni for ideas. The CDO is likely to be able to provide some leads.
Advantages
Disadvantages
work timeon international student visas
International Students: The Career Development Office has a special form for obtaining curricular practical training (whatever that is) for the summer.
For more information and ideas, visit Grinnell's Career Development Office.
You might also consider applying for internships at research laboratories.
Advantages
Disadvantages
Contact: Individual researchers.
These are competitive internships available to Grinnell students to undertake interesting and socially responsible applications of computing and technology. The internship must be at a nonprofit or governmental institution. Certainly, not all of these internships are in computing related fields, but many are. In the past, some these fellowships have been used to support students working for Freenets, students developing computer applications for other disciplines at other Universities, and students doing computer work for nonprofits. Two are typically awarded.
You might also consider other Grinnell internship funds, such as Wilson.
Advantages
Disadvantages
Contacts: Janet Davis,
davisjan@grinnell.edu
and the CDO.
In many years, Google sponsors opportunities for students to volunteer on open source projects (and receive compensation for volunteering). It's not yet clear if GSoC will be offered in Summer 2013.
In summer 2007, three Grinnell students were supported for Google Summer of Code projects. The Google Summer of Code supports undergraduates to work on open-source projects. In summer 2009, at least one Grinnell student worked on summer of code. I don't think we've had a student apply to GSoC since then.
http://code.google.com/p/google-summer-of-code/wiki/AdviceforStudents
Advantages
Disadvantages
