Global Environmental Microbiology (GEM) Course
The GEM Course is a four-week program integrating classroom learning with field sampling and laboratory protocols in microbial ecology to engage students in scientific analysis and learning. Learn what bacteria are, how they work, and what they do at the University of Southern California, the Eastern Sierra Mountains and the Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island. Our ideal candidate is early in their college career, scientifically curious, and a hard-working learner.
NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates: Community College Cultivation Cohort (C4)
Spend your summer doing exciting, cutting-edge research—no experience needed! Be part of a research center that studies life below the oceans, in the sediments and rocks of the subseafloor. This ecosystem is largely unexplored, and we need students to help grow, isolate, describe, and ultimately name the microorganisms referred to as ‘intraterrestrials’. C4 students will work in teams in laboratories at USC, learning state-of-the-art techniques ranging from DNA sequencing to microscopy and sterile techniques to analytical chemistry.
CC-RISE Research Internship
The Community College Research Internship for Scientific Engagement (CC-RISE) is an eight-week, paid, summer research internship program for community college students run by the Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations. Students will gain firsthand exposure to the scientific process by working in a faculty-led research lab at the University of California Santa Cruz or at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, MA. In addition to research, students will participate in activities focusing on how to transition from a two-year college to a university and information on graduate school. At the end of the program, students will present their results to an audience of peers and mentors.
Genomics and Geobiology Undergraduate Research Experience (GGURE)
The GGURE program offers students the opportunity to participate actively in a research group, with either an experimental or computational focus, and perform original research under the direct supervision of a faculty mentor.
In addition to our Center-run programs, C-DEBI recommends reviewing these related internships, funding opportunities and professional networking resources led by some of our partnering organizations.