RULA IRES Request For Proposal and Application
The Resilient Urban Latin America (RULA) International Research Experience for Students (IRES) project offers undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to conduct eight to ten weeks of onsite research in a Latin American or Caribbean urban community facing climate extremes. This research will afford students collaboration and mentorship experiences for conducting research, gaining skills in research design, data analysis and management, and presentation across diverse social and political cultures; project outcomes can be integrated within existing dissertation research. Student participants will also network with members of the Urban Resilience to Extremes Sustainability Research Network (UREx SRN) through reading group, blogs, and social media.
The UREx IRES experience will provide an opportunity for students to advance themselves as effective change agents for Anthropocene within the context of climate change and urbanization. See here for former graduate student and postdoc research testimonials and a presentation of the January – March 2018 IRES experience in Valdivia, Chile.
Research emphases: The following topics in the broad domains of ecology/environment, social science, and environmental engineering provide a context for the type of research being done in the host cities as part of the UREx SRN:
– Vulnerability Analysis
– GIS Analysis and Synthesis Planning
– Urban Flooding
– Extreme Heat
– Historical Analyses of Extreme Events, Infrastructure
– Green Infrastructure
– Urban Ecosystem Services
– Analysis of Transition Capacities
– Regional Analysis of Climate Extremes
– Knowledge Network Analysis
Eligibility: Graduate and undergraduate students who are US citizens or permanent residents in good academic standing, with research interests in line with the above emphases, are welcome to apply. Preference will be given to students with some knowledge of the Spanish language. For graduate students, the quality of the proposal and its relevance to the urban resilience research in the host city are key criteria; for undergraduate students, a major in a relevant discipline (environmental science and engineering, geography and other social sciences, etc.), GPA, and recommendation are key. All students must commit to the full period of the fellowship.
What is covered: Airfare or other transportation to and from the host city, housing, and board will be covered for the duration of the fellowship. Each fellow will receive a stipend of $500 per week, plus an additional $1,000 toward research expenses.
RULA IRES Project Timeline
Valdivia, Chile / Universidad Austral de Chile
➔ Application deadline October 9, 2017 (PASSED)
➔ RULA IRES will run eight to 10 weeks in January-February 2018 (Austral summer)
Hermosillo, México
➔ Application deadline February 1, 2018
➔ RULA IRES ran 10 weeks in April-July 2019
Bogotá, Colombia
➔ Application deadline October 30, 2020
➔ RULA IRES will run 8 to 10 weeks in May-Aug, 2021 (TBA)
Applicant Instructions
Instructions for referral letter: Advisors are asked to explain their relationship to the student, confirm the student’s good academic standing, verify that the student can spend time away from their institution during the fellowship period (June 1– August 8, 2021 or May 15 – July 24, 2021), and verify that they approve the proposal submitted by the student (if applicable). Note that slight changes to the dates may occur.
Graduate Application – Bogotá (English) (Español)
UREx SRN Fellows and other graduate-student candidates complete the application form and submit a short research proposal (2 pages maximum, excluding references and graphics) explaining how the IRES project will integrate with their dissertation research ideas or proposal, with ongoing research in the host city, or with ongoing task force research in the UREx SRN. Also submit a referral letter from your advisor.
Undergraduate Application – Bogotá (English) (Español)
Undergraduates submit a short essay (500 words) on your interests related to the UREx SRN, why you are interested in working Bogotá, and any particular research interests related to Bogotá. Also submit a referral letter from your advisor with the application.