Finding the right opportunity
Choosing the best program that meets your goals and provides you with the experience you need to excel academically and professionally.
Project AROS Lab Research Intern Program
The Project AROS Lab Research Intern program is a Montclair State University initiative in collaboration with US-based and international partners, offering rising MSU undergraduate students practical experience to hone their applied research skills by conducting scholarly research and putting it into practice.
The research intern will primarily work under the supervision of a Project AROS Lab (PAL) faculty member that is and includes a variety of research areas, such as outlined on the PAL research page. Research projects explore, among other areas, various archival resources and create powerful online tools to present research findings and archival content in a user friendly and interactive fashion. Students will acquire digital skills, including virtual mapping skills with ArcGIS software tools and gain familiarity with online publishing tools to transform research results into compelling blog-style stories for public dissemination. Research topics vary on the program cycle but include a range of historical and contemporary issues, such as Cold War world politics, human rights, and environmental justice. Research materials consist mainly of digitized archives, online sources, and social media. Program participants will learn how to collect, organize (code) and analyze large data sets, eventually putting their new skills into practice by drafting research summaries, digitally visualizing their findings, and reporting results among their peers.
The program is a virtual learning experience and offered during regular academic terms lasting one semester starting in the fall or spring. Students register for a course INDT 499 and receive 3 academic credit for the experience. The program experience is renewable.
Research Intern Responsibilities
- Acquire digital research methods skills, including software tools such as ArcGIS.
- Hone analytical and research writing skills by discussing and summarizing current scholarship.
- Support document curation by creating descriptions of archival documents.
- Collect and organize data from various digital archives, based on institutional websites, database portals and other, related websites.
- Create research summaries, especially for text and visual data in order to create metadata for content analysis.
- Populate and organize online databases with collected data.
- Assist in dataset analysis and visualization.
- Conduct research on topics in global history, international politics, and human rights issues.
- Commit 10-15 hours per week.
- Enroll in course INTD 499 for 3 credits.
Profile
The candidate is required to:
- be detail oriented;
- be an independent self-starter;
- be familiar with Microsoft Office software and Google Docs; and
- have an interest in global history, international politics, and human rights issues.
Compensation
- Students will be issued a permit to register for a course INTD 499 and receive 3 academic credits for this experience. The student needs to also fulfill the requirements of that specific course.
Please Contact Project AROS Lab at pal@montclair.edu or Macayla Mack at mackm@montclair.edu if you have any questions.
Junior Researcher and Leadership Program
The Junior Researcher and Leadership (JRL) program is a Montclair State University (Montclair) initiative providing outstanding undergraduate students with an opportunity to conduct research and hone essential leadership skills.
The junior researcher will primarily work on a multiyear research initiative, Project AROS, under the supervision of Professor Arnaud Kurze. The interdisciplinary research project aims at expanding the former Digital Archive of the Wilson Center and improving its visibility and accessibility to a wider public audience, including lawmakers, practitioners, scholars and citizens. With a collection of over 10,000 historical documents, the goal of expanding the archives is driven by the idea of including new, compelling themes that also include cultural aspects and focus on society during the Cold War, but also in the period beyond, to better understand the legacy and impact of this era. While diplomatic history and international relations remain topical pillars in the online archive, sociopolitical and human rights related issues during and after the fall of the iron curtain will now also be included. In addition to expanding the former Digital Archive of the Wilson Center with Cold War-era materials, this project also intersects with contemporary public policy, addressing pressing global issues such as democratic transitions, environmental challenges, international security, and memory politics. By integrating archival research with current geopolitical and societal developments, the project aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of historical legacies and their influence on present-day policymaking, governance, and international cooperation.
The program offers experiential opportunities associated with document curation and data visualization. It is a virtual learning experience and offered during regular academic terms lasting one academic year starting in the fall.
Junior Researcher Responsibilities
- Support document curation by creating descriptions of archival documents.
- Collect and organize data from various digital archives, based on institutional websites, database portals and other, related websites.
- Create research summaries, especially for text and visual data in order to create metadata for content analysis.
- Populate and organize online databases with collected data.
- Assist in dataset analysis and visualization.
- Conduct research on topics in global history, international politics, and human rights issues.
- Lead small workshop and seminar groups and present research findings in public.
- Use digital methods to produce an individual research project featured on the Project AROS Lab site.
- Commit 10-15 hours per week for the duration of the program (fall and spring).
Profile
The candidate is required to:
- have an outstanding academic record
- be detail oriented;
- be an independent self-starter;
- be familiar with Microsoft Office software and Google Docs; and
- have an interest in global history, international politics, and human rights issues.
Compensation
- Students selected for the program will receive a scholarship for their work.
- Students may apply to receive academic credit for this experience. For more information contact Macayla Mack at mackm@montclair.edu.
Please contact Arnaud Kurze at kurzea@montclair.edu or Macayla Mack at mackm@montclair.edu if you have any questions.
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