Frontiers of Science—Trying Out Research (FOSTOR)

Program Goals

Contrary to popular stereotypes, all scientists did not have chemistry sets when they were nine, telescopes at ten, and a preference for solving math problems over hanging out at the Mall. Some even went to college expecting to be English majors. Most scientists did, however, discover a passion for science in their undergraduate years. The FOSTOR program is designed to foster the development of such a passion among those Frontiers of Science students who arrive in the course either unsure of their major or sure it will not be science and who develop sufficient interest to devote a summer to further exploration of the physical, mathematical, or engineering sciences.

FOSTOR (Frontiers of Science—Trying Out Research) will provide paid summer internships for eight to ten Frontiers of Science students who wish to conduct research with a Columbia faculty member in the summer following their first year in the College. The internship will include a stipend of $3500 for a minimum of ten weeks research, as well as free Columbia housing for program participants.

Program Requirements

Students will be expected to work full-time (40 hours per week) for a minimum of ten weeks during the summer of 2008. The program will nominally run May 27 - August 5, although details of hours, responsibilities, and the exact weeks worked will be established through discussion with the faculty advisor. Students who participate in the program full-time will receive half the stipend on June 1 and the remaining half on July 1 (conditional on continued full-time participation in the program). Students who withdraw from the program will lose their university housing. Where applicable, students are responsible for participating in the laboratory safety training mandated by the University; details are available from their faculty mentor.

Participants will meet together once weekly with a faculty member to hear about his/her research and to discuss both their experiences and the culture of science. In addition, each applicant will prepare an individual presentation on the results of their summer's work, to be delivered at a meeting of the FOSTOR program during the Fall 2007 term. A letter certifying completion of the program (or failure to complete) will be forwarded to the applicant's file.

Application Procedure

All applicants must complete the on-line application by March 14, 2008. The application includes a two-page statement of purpose, describing the student's background in science, experience in Frontiers of Science, and motivation for pursuing a FOSTOR internship. In addition, the applicant must arrange for

  1. a letter of recommendation (using this form) from his or her Frontiers seminar leader (or, if that is not possible, anothera Columbia faculty member),
  2. a list of their past courses that includes grades received
  3. a list of their current courses
  4. a statement regarding the type of research the applicant would like to pursue so that the program can match successful applicants with faculty in their area of interest. If, however contact with a particular faculty member has already been made, the applicant should include the faculty member's name and a brief description of the project. At present, the program is restricted to those interested in doing research in Astronomy, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Mathematics, Physics, Statistics, and Departments in the School of Engineering. The SURF program is available for those students interested in doing research in the life sciences.

Awardees will be notified by April 1, 2008 and must confirm their participation by April 15, 2008.

Application Forms

You may need to download Adobe Reader version 7.0 or higher to complete the forms. Completed application forms must be emailed to fostor@columbia.edu by March 14, 2008.