Examples of Past PROGRESS Resources

Network to Expand your Community!

Expand your community by attending annual conferences, joining scientific societies, and participating in undergraduate research opportunities!

Annual Conferences

Most professional organization offer substantially discounted membership dues and meeting feed for students (some continue these discounted rates for several years post graduation). Membership is a great investment for your long-term career.

2025 American Geophysical Union (AGU) meeting
2025 American Meteorological Society (AMS) meeting

Scientific Societies

Participating in local, national, and international networks, despite potential negative connotations, offers valuable connections with colleagues, peers, mentors, and friends. These networks expand your exposure to diverse research and grant opportunities, including those tailored for undergraduates. Below are some examples of scientific societies.

  • American Association of Petroleum Geologists
  • American Institute of Professional Geologists
  • American Geophysical Union
  • American Geosciences Institute
  • American Meteorological Society
  • American Society of Limnology and Oceanography
  • Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists
  • Geological Society of America
  • Ecological Society of America
  • National Association of Geoscience Teachers
  • National Earth Science Teacher’s Association
  • National Weather Association
  • Seismological Society of America
  • Society of Economic Geologists
  • Society of Exploration Geophysicists
  • Society of Freshwater Science
  • Soil Science Society of America

There are many grassroots organizations that are working to make the STEM community a more welcoming place for all. Follow them on social media and/or go to their websites to find out what they are up to, get notified of jobs and professional development opportunities, and find community.

Make science open, inclusive, accessible, and transform society by fighting racism, patriarchy, and oppressive societal norms.
A visibility campaign for LGBTQ+ people and allies working in STEM and STEM-supporting jobs — a group that collectively represents a powerful force of scientific progress and discovery.
Embracing, Empowering and Inspiring Latinas in Earth and Planetary Sciences.
Highlights scholarship, activist and engagement of Black environmentalists globally.
Twitter Instagram Youtube Facebook
Unlearning Racism in Geoscience (URGE) deepens community knowledge of racism's effects on participation and retention of Black, Brown, and Indigenous people in Geoscience while developing anti-racist policies and strategies. 
A grassroots, non-profit, member driven organization whose mission is to build a resilient community that lifts all scientists and moves geosciences forward.
A non-profit enabling Black Geoscientists to connect, communicate, and network with other minority professionals. 
Mentoring support for undergraduate and early-stage graduate students in the geosciences while increasing the accessibility of graduate programs and funding for all students.

Undergraduate Research Opportunities

Interested in research opportunities?

  • Your home institution may offer research opportunities. Check professor’s websites to see if anything piques your interest! if so, reach out!
  • Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs are sponsored by the National Science Foundation. These programs typically run for 8-10 weeks at universities all over the U.S., in nearly every scientific discipline.
  • Summer research opportunities at universities and/or with research scientists are often posted on discipline specific listservs. Subscribe or go to the website & browse listings.
  • Many federal laboratories and private-sector companies also offer summer research opportunities.

Below, learn about:

  1. The WHY & HOW behind applying to undergraduate research opportunities – Resume help and tips
  2. Lists of typical Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) and summer programs – search by settings or disciplines
  3. Amazing role models
Aisha Morris and RESESS interns at the UNAVCO booth at the Baltimore GSA meeting.
Undergraduate researchers look out over a 20 year old burn scar after completing field research.
Kimmie Bowen checks on a field instrument as part of a research project at Penn State University
REU participant Elaine Godfrey (center) and teammates at the top of the Greenland ice cap after successfully repairing a magnetometer

The WHY & HOW behind applying to undergraduate research opportunities: 

Watch Dr. Melissa Burt’s (Colorado State University) webinar on how to apply for REU programs!

Learn about

  1. Types of research opportunities available to students
  2. What to expect during a summer research experience
  3. How to put together a strong and convincing application package.

Need resume help? Dr. Manda Adams (National Science Foundation) provides guidance on building your resume to best sell yourself & tailor it for each opportunity.

Additional Advice

REU participant slots can be highly desirable and sometimes extremely competitive; each hosting organization or school has only a limited number of available positions. These applications should be taken seriously. Jonathan Hodge at Grand Valley State University in Michigan has created a list of excellent tips for attaining an REU:

View Tips

REU and Summer Research Opportunities

Below is a listing of typical REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) and summer programs that are regularly offered, but the actual offerings vary from year to year depending on NSF funding (COVID-19, etc.). Be sure to read each listing carefully for eligibility, application guidelines, & deadlines. Please note that the lists are not complete, but they can provide you a good place to start, you should also check out the National Science Foundation (NSF) REU website regularly for updates.

  • STEMUndergrads.science.gov
  • Argonne National Lab
  • Department of Energy Science
  • Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI)
  • Department of Energy Scholarships and Internships
  • Geological Society of America
    Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS)
  • Los Alamos National Lab
  • Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI)
  • Summer Intern Program in Planetary Science
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration and NASA Internships
  • National Center for Atmospheric Research
  • National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON)
  • National Park Service GeoScientists-in-the-Park program
  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  • National Renewable Energy Lab
  • National Science Foundation (NSF) REU
  • National Weather Center REU
  • Oak Ridge Science Semester
  • ORISE: Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education
  • Pacific Northwest National Lab
  • Research Experiences in Solid Earth Sciences for Students (RESESS) by UNAVCO
  • Scripps Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)
  • Sandia National Lab
  • Sierra Club Internship Opportunities
  • State Water Resources Research
  • Institute Program
  • US Geological Survey

This is really just the beginning! Find more opportunities with federal agencies at both Science.gov and USA Jobs.

To separate full-time positions from temporary research opportunities, be sure to search for student internships.

  • Chevron
  • Smithsonian
  • Vaisala
  • Encana
  • Geoscience Internships via the SimplyHired job search engine
  • Geology internships via InternMatch search engine
  • Schlumberger

Check out some of these summer research programs:

  • Institute for Broadening Participation (IBP)
  • National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution Research Training Program
  • The Student Conservation Association
  • UNAVCO Geo-Launchpad: Internship for Community College Students in Colorado

Undergraduate research opportunities are often listed by universities and sometimes include links to opportunities beyond the university. Here are a few examples:

  • Caltech’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)
  • Colorado State University, REU Site in Climate Science
  • Colorado State University CHILL Radar Facility
  • Columbia University, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Summer internships in Earth and Ocean Sciences
  • Duke Marine Sciences REU
  • Hobart and William Smith Colleges
  • North Carolina State University
  • Northwestern University
  • Penn State REU in Climate Science
  • Rice University, Earth Sciences
  • Stanford University
  • Texas A&M Atmospheric Science in the Gulf Coast Region
  • University of Colorado Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR)
  • University of Michigan
  • University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
  • University of North Carolina – Charlotte
  • University of Oklahoma/National Weather Center REU
  • University of South Carolina – Space Grant
  • University of South Carolina has a great searchable database for opportunities all over the U.S. and abroad.
  • Williams College

You can also search by discipline:

  • NSF REU page list for the Atmospheric Sciences
  • Hollings undergraduate scholarship program for NOAA labs
  • University of Oklahoma/National Weather Center REU in meteorology
  • SOARS at the National Center for Atmospheric Research
  • National Center for Atmospheric Research, Computational and Information Systems Laboratory
  • National Center for Atmospheric Research, Software engineering for data science (Unidata Program)
  • Texas A&M Atmospheric Science in the Gulf Coast Region
  • Penn State REU in Climate Science
  • NSF REU page, search for ‘geophysics’
  • Applied Research in Earth Sciences
  • NSF REU page list for the Earth Sciences
  • Keck Geology consortium summer projects
  • Geocorps
  • Research Experiences in Solid Earth Sciences for Students (RESESS) by UNAVCO
  • Geology Field Camps–listings from all over the world
  • NSF REU page list for the ocean sciences
  • Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution student fellowship program
  • Hollings undergraduate scholarship program for NOAA labs
  • NOAA Chesapeake Bay Summer Internships
  • Virginia Institute of Marine Science
  • NSF REU page list for the Astronomical Sciences
  • American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
  • Keck Geology consortium summer projects
  • STEM Diversity Programs
  • Research Experiences in Solid Earth Sciences for Students (RESESS) by UNAVCO
  • National Science Foundation Human Resource Development
  • Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP):
  • University of Michigan

Check out University of South Carolina's searchable database for domestic and international opportunities!

Check out these amazing role models

Watch one or more of these inspirational videos of women in the geosciences and learn how they are using their science & their humanity to make the world a better place. Have a great video to suggest? Please send us an email so we can share it with others

Inspirational Geoscientists

8 Videos

Tips for Attaining an REU

Read and follow directions…

  • The application form will ask for specific information from you. Make sure to provide exactly what is requested. If you have questions about any part of the application, contact the program director and ask for clarification.

Demonstrate specific knowledge and interest in the program to which you are applying…

  • Don’t just say that you’re interested in doing an REU. Tell the reader exactly why you are interested in the specific REU to which you are applying. Do your research before you complete your application. Browse the program’s web site, and use this knowledge to highlight specific aspects of the program that are particularly appealing to you. Don’t use the same application essay for every program you apply to. Show the reader that you spent some time researching and applying specifically to their REU.

Demonstrate specific knowledge and interest in the program to which you are applying…

  • Don’t just say that you’re interested in doing an REU. Tell the reader exactly why you are interested in the specific REU to which you are applying. Do your research before you complete your application. Browse the program’s web site, and use this knowledge to highlight specific aspects of the program that are particularly appealing to you. Don’t use the same application essay for every program you apply to. Show the reader that you spent some time researching and applying specifically to their REU.

Choose good references…

  • What your references write about you can make a big difference in distinguishing your application from others. Choose references who know you well and who will take the time to write a thorough and detailed letter of recommendation. It’s okay to ask a reference, “Do you think that you will be able to write a strong and detailed letter for me?” Make sure your references understand what is expected of them. Some REUs provide detailed instructions for references; if such instructions are available, make sure that your references have a copy of them. Also give your references a copy of your application essay and any other information that would help them to write a strong letter for you.

Share what makes you different from other applicants…

  • Summer programs such as REUs are highly competitive. It is not unusual for a program with 8-10 participants to receive 100-200 applications. If you have unique experiences that set you apart from other applicants, make sure to mention these. What you write needs to convince the reader that you have unique traits and abilities that will contribute to your success in an REU. Of course, your academic preparation is important, but it is also important to demonstrate that you have the social and emotional maturity to function well in an intense research environment, working with people from all different backgrounds. Extracurricular and co-curricular activities often speak well to these characteristics.

Be authentic…

  • Don’t oversell yourself. Provide an honest account of your background and experiences, but don’t be boastful or arrogant. Don’t name-drop or use obscure mathematical terms to try to impress the readers.

Apply to multiple programs…

  • It’s important to remember that REUs are extremely competitive, and even the very best students do not get accepted by every program to which they apply. Do some research, and choose a variety of programs (perhaps 3-10) that suit your interests and abilities.