Summer 2023 Research Assistantships

A Bill Lane Center cohort of recent summer research assistants. 

 

The Bill Lane Center for the American West, with funding support from the office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education (VPUE), offers on-campus research opportunities for Stanford undergraduates to work with faculty on projects related to the American West. We welcome students from a wide variety of disciplines engaged with issues related to Western land and life in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Students may submit applications for self-designed projects related to BLC’s ongoing research priorities or other topics related to the American West, and pre-arranged opportunities contributing to research projects led by scholars affiliated with the Center.

 


Self-Designed Projects

The Bill Lane Center welcomes proposals from undergraduate students for self-designed projects on topics related to the American West. During the 2021-22 academic year, self-designed research projects included fieldwork on rural and urban political attitudes in Arizona and Nevada, examining Cormac McCarthy's work with respect to race and colonialism, a visual ethnography of tourism in Waikiki, and the effects of sexual stereotypes on Native American women at Stanford. Successful applications will include a specific project plan and the name of a prospective faculty mentor. 

Apply here for self-designed projects. 

 

Pre-Arranged Opportunities

The following pre-arranged opportunities advised by  scholars affiliated with the Center are currently available (check back frequently, as more may be periodically added):

  • Energy Governance: Local governments are playing an increasing role in energy policy, ranging from energy procurement to transportation systems and building electrification. How will this decentralized approach shape progress toward carbon emissions reductions, and what challenges arise as cities and counties choose divergent paths? Additional areas of interest include the study of political conflicts around the siting of renewable energy, transmission lines and other infrastructure, analysis of the effectiveness of different programs for building out electric vehicles across states in the Western United States, and more. 
  • Water, Climate Change, and Disasters on the Western Coast: As climate change leads to increasingly extreme weather events across the American West, coastal areas of California and other western states face multiple risks. In addition to more extreme and frequent droughts, floods, and wildfires, sea level rise both exacerbates flooding and impacts groundwater supplies through salt water intrusion. Many areas of the coast also face potentially disastrous consequences from the combination of an earthquake and tsunami. Research under this theme may relate to the analysis of these complex disaster risks, economic and political interests around water use and access in coastal regions and across California, the role of local and state government in planning for and funding disaster response, and policy options for improving coordination for more effective water resource management and disaster preparedness.
  • Wildfires in the American West: The frequency and severity of wildfires has been growing, with significant impacts to communities, human health and lives, and the environment. Under this priority, The Bill Lane Center is particularly seeking a student to review academic journal articles for a systematic literature review examining the most destructive wildfires and hurricanes in the United States. In addition, students may contribute to a project focused on understanding the effectiveness of coordination across multiple local government agencies for fire preparedness and response in Marin County.

Apply on SOLO here for these pre-arranged opportunities.


The Bill Lane Center's research assistants pursue original research with faculty, working part-time for a maximum of 10 hours per week each quarter and/or full-time up to 40 hours per week for 10 consecutive weeks during the summer. Students meet regularly with their mentor(s) to discuss research goals and plans. Research assistants are required to present their work to the Bill Lane Center community at weekly seminars in the fall quarter following their research. 

Part-time research assistants are given a stipend of $1,500 each quarter (or a prorated amount depending on the start date).

Full-time research assistants are given a base stipend of $7,500 for the summer quarter. Student financial aid needs and cost of living adjustments may be added to the stipend depending on need.

Students from all years and all disciplines are encouraged to apply for positions. 

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. 


Questions? Please email Surabhi Balachander at surabhi2 [at] stanford.edu (surabhi2[at]stanford[dot]edu)