Charles Montgomery Gray was a distinguished legal historian, a winner of the Llewellyn John and Harriet Manchester Quantrell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, and a professor in the Department of History. The Charles M. Gray Research Fellowship was created to honor his memory and to encourage in a new generation of students his devotion to learning and to thoughtful research.

Guidance for Applicants

Gray Fellows are expected to pursue original, faculty-mentored research. The research could be tied to a BA Thesis or Capstone project, or be an independent, faculty-mentored project. Fellowship applicants should seek to answer a research question of their own design by supplementing the knowledge that they gain from secondary sources with their own analysis of primary sources. These primary sources might include, but are not limited to, historical or contemporary texts, government documents, court decisions, data sets, interviews, letters, speeches, films, and the contents of archival collections. More information about primary sources can be found at https://guides.lib.uchicago.edu/primarysources. In addition, students can learn about the process of developing a good research question by consulting The Craft of Research, 4th ed. (chapter 3, “From Topics to Questions,” pp. 33–48). An electronic version can be accessed at https://catalog.lib.uchicago.edu/vufind/Record/11349308.

All applicants must secure a faculty supervisor for their summer research before the application deadline, and they are strongly encouraged to prepare their application in consultation with this supervisor.

Applications must be received by 5:00 PM on Friday, April 14, 2022. Fellowship recipients will be notified in early May. Questions can be directed to the CEGU Director of Undergraduate Studies, Sabina Shaikh at sabina@uchicago.edu.

Application Materials

The following application materials should be uploaded here, combined into a single PDF in the order listed below, by 5:00pm on April 14th, 2023. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.

—Cover letter (300 words max)
This letter will briefly introduce your summer research project. In it, you should identify the question that you seek to answer through your research, briefly describe its importance and what your research will help others to understand. You should also identify your faculty supervisor in this letter.

—Research proposal (500–1000 words)
This document will contain a detailed description of your project and the research that you plan to undertake over the summer. It should include the following sections:
——Project Overview
This section should introduce your research project by describing its aims and its significance, and by providing any necessary background information.
——Methodology
This section should clarify how you propose to answer your research question. In particular, you should identify the primary sources that you intend to analyze over the summer and explain why you think that studying them can help you to answer your question. Please also indicate in this section how you plan to access your sources (e.g. via our library or the websites of other institutions, by travelling to an archive, by requesting scanned copies of materials, by purchasing them, etc.)
——Motivation and Preparation
In this section, please describe how your prior coursework has shaped your interest in your research question. If analyzing your primary sources will require any special skills (quantitative, linguistic, etc.), then you should also describe the relevant training that you have had.
——Budget
Your budget should detail the anticipated costs of conducting your summer research, such as travel/living expenses, the cost of supplies, and fees associated with accessing data, archival materials, etc. The expected award amount is $5,000.

—Curriculum vitae

—Unofficial transcript

—Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval (for students who plan to conduct interviews or otherwise involve human subjects in their research):
The University is required to ensure that the rights and welfare of research participants are protected during research that is conducted under its authority. Therefore, students whose summer research will involve human subjects must inform the IRB of their plans by the time they submit their fellowship application. This process can be initiated by sending an email to the general inquiries address (sbs-irb@uchicago.edu) to find out what information the IRB requires.As a final component of their application, students whose research involves human subjects must provide documentation that confirms that their project 1) has been reviewed and approved by the IRB; 2) has been deemed exempt from review; or 3) is currently under review. If you need any assistance with the IRB process, please contact CEGU program research mentor Kristi Del Vecchio (kdelvecc@uchicago.edu).

Additional CEGU/ENST Undergraduate Research Grants

Additional CEGU/ENST undergraduate research and travel funds will be available by application to all undergraduates and announced early in Spring Quarter. Full details will be posted on this website shortly.

For two consecutive summers, trainees work full time in the laboratories of established EHS researchers, including Chicago Center for Health and the Environment (CACHET)↗ members, at the University of Chicago or the University of Illinois at Chicago. Rigorous research training is complemented by an EHS-based summer lecture series, year-round career development and skill-building workshops, CACHET seminars and workshops↗, and a network of faculty mentors dedicated to trainees’ success.

The internship is open to rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors, particularly those from historically underrepresented groups. Participants will receive a taxable stipend of $3,500 per year. More information, including the application, can be found on the Up on EHS website↗ as well as on UChicago Handshake by searching “Up on EHS Internship Program 2023”.

Applications are due Friday, February 10, 2023.

Research assistant positions will be full-time roles for 10 weeks during the Summer. The role is paid $15/hour. RA positions may have the opportunity to extend into the 2023-2024 academic year, which will be determined upon completion of summer work. This will be a hybrid internship, with an expectation of interns working 2-3 days per week in the office and the option to work remotely the remaining days.

About Environmental Frontiers and EFCampus

The Environmental Frontiers Initiative focuses on issues at the intersection of environmental sustainability and urban development, enabling research and curricular opportunities that provide UChicago students with a scientific and practical understanding of sustainable urban development. Environmental Frontiers spans the physical sciences and social sciences, complementing existing and emerging course curriculum in Environmental and Urban Studies, Environmental Sciences, and other programs, and serving as a platform for the University of Chicago to advance sustainability through collaboration between faculty, students, and staff. Environmental Frontiers is a partnership between the Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation, the Program on the Global Environment (PGE), the Center for Robust Decision-making on Climate and Energy Policy (RDCEP), and the Offices of Facilities Services and Campus Planning + Sustainability at the University of Chicago.

EFCampus is the campus-based component of the Environmental Frontiers initiative, enabling students to use campus data, operational systems, and community behaviors as a case study for understanding a path to a more sustainable future, on campus and beyond. EFCampus provides undergraduate students opportunities to advance research and applied projects that explore campus sustainability, with an eye toward transferable knowledge to inform strategies in neighborhoods and whole urban areas. These data-driven projects will analyze campus data, engaging students in using rigorous quantitative methods to understand campus energy use and opportunities to increase efficiency. Working closely with faculty and staff from Facilities Services, students will think critically about what the data suggests are the most effective interventions to create energy-savings and reduce unnecessary consumption.

EFCampus student research assistant positions are full-time for 10-weeks of Summer Quarter 2023, with potential to extend into the 2023-2024 academic year on a part-time basis. Undergraduate RA’s will work in teams on structured projects identified by the Office of Facilities Services, faculty, and staff, with mentorship provided by a graduate student RA, as well as additional guidance from faculty. Student work will align with the goals outlined in the University’s broader Sustainability Plan, including 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions across the University operations by 2030. Read more about previous undergraduate work from Summer 2020. 

Student teams will meet regularly with the EF Graduate Student mentor, who will ensure that communication across units (campus Facilities Services, Mansueto Institute, and faculty leads) keeps all partners abreast of student work and any issues arising with campus data collection and dissemination. Undergraduate RA tasks will include: quantitative analysis; best practices research; gathering stakeholder input; identifying optimal sustainability interventions; documenting project progress; and presenting key findings to EFCampus faculty and staff.

Minimum Qualifications and/or Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must be a current undergraduate student in the University of Chicago in Summer 2023 (students who graduate in June 2023 are not eligible). Preference will be given to candidates who have demonstrated ability in/knowledge of some or all of the following:

• Environmental issues/challenges, including energy systems
• Data visualization and management
• Community outreach and surveying
• Coding, programming, and/or statistics experience a plus
• Communication and presentation skills
• Professionalism, reliability, and ability to work as part of at team

Applications are due by 11:59pm on January 22, 2023. 

For questions, please contact Emily Padston, padston@uchicago.edu.

The Environmental Frontiers Initiative, housed in the Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation, seeks a Graduate Student Project Lead to oversee research efforts under EFCampus, which brings together students, faculty, and the UChicago Office of Sustainability Planning to conduct research that advances sustainability practices on campus. This is a great opportunity for someone interested in bridging sustainability research and operational planning, and includes direct access to the University’s sustainability efforts and institutional leads. The position will be approximately 5 hours/week beginning in Spring Quarter 2023, shifting to a full-time role for 10 weeks of Summer 2023. The role is paid $20/hour, and there is also potential to extend this role into the Fall/Winter quarters for interested students. Applicants must be enrolled in a UChicago graduate program in Summer 2023 to be eligible to apply. This is a hybrid opportunity, with an expectation of working 2-3 days per week in the office and the option to work remotely the remaining days.

Job Summary

The Graduate Student Project Lead will oversee two to three EFCampus projects, including supervising teams of 3-5 undergraduate RAs conducting analysis. Current EFCampus projects include: 1) Lab User Engagement on Energy Savings, 2) EV Charging Infrastructure Planning and 3) Sustainability Dashboards Analysis and Design. Working in close collaboration with faculty and staff stakeholders, the Graduate Student Lead will be responsible for scoping the next phases of project work, defining milestones and deliverables, and conceiving of programmatic strategy. The Grad Student Lead will serve as the central coordinator across all EFCampus stakeholders, namely the undergraduate students, faculty members, and representatives from the Office of Facilities Services. In supervising the undergraduate RA teams, you will be responsible for providing regularly scheduled guidance on the students’ work, responding to their inquiries, ensuring they meet identified milestones and deadlines, and reviewing their work products for quality and completeness.

Eligibility

• Must be enrolled in a University of Chicago graduate degree program during Summer 2023
• Preference for students with a demonstrated focus on environmental science, energy policy, sustainability research, conservation measures, or urban scholarship
• A minimum of 3-5 years of professional experience in conducting research projects, program management, sustainability planning, and/or engineering
• Experience working with senior leaders or executives in a complex environment preferred

Preferred Qualifications

• Exceptional time and project management and organizational skills, including the ability to meet external and internal deadlines
• Demonstrates the skill and willingness to take initiative and to proactively anticipate project needs
• Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously, set priorities, and manage resources accordingly
• A working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Familiarity with data visualization platforms like Tableau a plus.
• Significant experience in quantitative methods and/or computational analysis preferred
• Demonstrated ability to influence people to meet goals and deadlines, work collaboratively with senior leadership, scholars, student workers, and other stakeholders

About Environmental Frontiers

Environmental Frontiers focuses on issues at the intersection of environmental sustainability and urban development, enabling research and curricular opportunities that provide UChicago students a scientific and practical understanding of sustainable urban development. EFCampus is the campus-based component of Environmental Frontiers, positioning students to use campus data as a case study for understanding a path to a more sustainable future, on campus and beyond. EFCampus provides undergraduate students opportunities to advance research and applied projects that explore campus sustainability, with an eye toward transferable knowledge to inform strategies in neighborhoods and whole urban areas. Environmental Frontiers is a partnership between the Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation, the Program on the Global Environment (PGE), the Center for Robust Decision-making on Climate and Energy Policy (RDCEP), and the Offices of Facilities Services and Campus Planning + Sustainability at the University of Chicago.

Applications are due by 11:59pm on January 15, 2023. 

For questions, please contact Emily Padston, padston@uchicago.edu.

Unit Summary

The Committee on Environment, Geography and Urbanization (CEGU) is the culmination of a long-standing collaboration between the Program on the Global Environment (PGE), the Committee on Geographical Sciences (CGS), and many other faculty across the social sciences and humanities at the University of Chicago whose research and teaching strongly articulates to the societal and spatial dimensions of climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental transformation. CEGU’s faculty and students seek to investigate and respond to the environmental crises of our time not only by advancing climate change awareness and environmental literacy, but by actively centering questions about climate change and socio-environmental interdependencies in the epistemologies, conceptual frameworks, analytic methods, data sources, and normative foundations of social research at large.

Position Summary

This role provides critical support to CEGU and PGE on running day-to-day communications campaigns across social media (Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook), email (Mailchimp), and web (pge.uchicago.edu, cegu.info, and also Eventbrite). Reporting to the project and communications coordinator of CEGU and working in close collaboration with two additional undergraduate student interns focused on writing and graphic design, respectively, this social media-focused intern will serve as a central planning and processing node for small- to medium-scale publicity efforts. We seek a candidate with excellent organizational skills and attention to detail, and offer the opportunity to participate in a highly collaborative team with a mandate to establish additional communications strategies from the ground up for a nascent committee (CEGU) while simultaneously refreshing approaches within a long-standing undergraduate community.

Essential Functions

Coordinate social media presence (Hootsuite).

• Maintain consistent awareness of upcoming events and deadlines, recent news, and other topical information at CEGU and PGE.
• Devise cross-platform social media calendar that ensures all current CEGU and PGE activity is covered in a timely manner and in appropriate proportion.
• Propose copywriting strategy for each post/tweet based upon available graphics, images, information, partners, and/or links.
• Compile relevant content and draft individual posts/tweets on Hootsuite.
• Monitor social media activity of peer units and recommend items for sharing/retweeting.

Support email communications (Mailchimp).

• Draft regular email newsletters and specialized email announcements as requested.

Support website maintenance

• Make content updates to CEGU and PGE websites as requested.
• Create event pages on Eventbrite and ensure effective integration with CEGU and PGE website event pages.

Qualifications

Required

• Current undergraduate student at the University of Chicago
• Ability to communicate big ideas concisely
• Ability to keep track of complex, rapidly changing timelines
• Excellent attention to detail, especially in proofreading short-form copy
• Familiarity with recent academic discourse in environmental and urban studies
• Ability to work quickly, efficiently, and precisely

Preferred

• Familiarity with Hootsuite, Mailchimp, WordPress, and Drupal
• Basic knowledge of html and css

Employment Dates, Work Schedule, and Reporting

• Dates of Employment: 2022–23
• Schedule: 10 hours per week across two mutually agreed periods, in person as possible
• Reporting: regular supervision by project and communications coordinator, occasional contact with faculty director and other CEGU staff in the context of team meetings.

Application & Review

Interested undergraduate students should submit a resume and cover letter detailing their interest in the role and their relevant skills and experience at the link below. Shortlisted candidates should expect to attend one interview and complete a brief proofreading test. Any questions regarding the position should be directed to Carlo Diaz (carlodiaz@uchicago.edu), project and communications coordinator for CEGU.