Research Opportunities for Undergraduates at the Calder Center

Calder Summer Undergraduate Research (CSUR) Program

A Program Overview

Our CSUR program is designed to provide undergraduates with an opportunity to conduct an independent research project within one of the Calder Center's research labs.  Under the guidance of a strong mentorship community of faculty and graduate students, the student will conduct research that connects with the larger research goal of the lab.

Undergraduates receive a $5,000 stipend and free on-site housing. This program typically runs for 10 weeks, early-June through mid-August.

Not Your Typical Summer Internship

Work closely with ecologists at the Calder Center, Fordham’s biological field station near the village of Armonk, NY, in a hilly, wooded region of northern Westchester County. The 113-acre site includes forests, streams, and a 10-acre lake. Learn more about the Louis Calder Center.  

Gain Direct Experience in Research

In the 10-week intensive program, you will gain experience in all aspects of a research project.

  • Literature review
  • Experimental design & proposal writing
  • Collecting and analyzing data
  • Presenting results

In addition, you will attend short courses on conducting ecological field studies and data analysis.

 

  • The Effects of transient heat stress on reproductive development in Brassica rapa fast plants.

    Invertebrate grazing on diatoms in contrasting river zones on the Colorado River.

    Effect of Japanese barberry, Berberis thunbergii, on tick abundance in the Louis Calder forest.

    The effect of temperature and drought stress on resource allocation of Tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum).

    How land use history affects forest carbon stocks.

    Determining if active mycorrhizal fungal species differ between Oak/Hickory Forests and Beech Forests.

    Deer density estimation through novel trail camera methodology.

     

  • Vector ecology, Lyme disease – Thomas J. Daniels, Calder Center Director, Associate Research Scientist

    Medical entomology, West Nile Virus ecology Richard C. Falco, Associate Research Scientist

    Behavioral, Physiological and Biochemical Adaptations of Mammals – Craig Frank, Associate Professor

    Plant Ecology and Evolution – Steven Franks, Professor

    Plant and Microbial Community and Ecosystem Ecology – J.D. Lewis, Professor

    Aquatic Ecology, Ecology and Physiology of Algae – John D. Wehr, Professor