Summer Employment Opportunities

NSERC - USRA's

NSERC (Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada) Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA's) are awards for students working for university faculty doing summer research. These awards have a value of $4,500 for a full 16-week period, but faculty are required to supplement the amount of the award by at least 25 per cent of its value. 

Students can work for faculty members at the University of Calgary, or at other eligible Canadian universities. The application deadlines for USRA's are set by the individual universities. The University of Calgary deadline is set by Research Services and varies year to year, but is usually mid February, while the PHAS department's internal deadline is usually a couple weeks before this. Students should check with the PHAS department for exact deadlines each year. For more information see the NSERC - USRA website.

Physics and Astronomy Undergrad Department Positions

The department usually offers two or three positions every summer to undergraduate students. Positions in the past have been helping in the department's Junior Teaching Labs and demonstrations room, working at the Rothney Astrophysical Observatory, and developing a new PHAS departmental website. The application deadline for these positions is usually mid April. Check the Employment page for positions offered by the department.

Other Research Opportunities Working for Department Members

Many of the department's faculty hire undergraduate students for summer research projects if they are looking for help and have extra funding. Students are encouraged to talk to faculty members in areas they might be interested in working. For information on the different research faculty members are involved in, see the Research page and the various research group websites.

Research Opportunities for U.S. Citizens

U.S. citizens are encouraged to apply for various Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs. These programs are similar to NSERCs and are usually run by the host institution. If a student wishes to go to a certain location, they should first verify on the web if the institution is offering an REU. The deadline is usually late summer-mid fall (changes year to year). For more information, see the REU program information site.

Other Places to Look

Students should also check the bulletin board outside PASA (Physics and Astronomy Student's Association), which often advertises student employment opportunities.
Students can also go to the VP Research Website and check for research opportunites posted there. Check back frequently for updated postings.