Resources for Undergraduate Students

Research allows you to pursue existing new interests and apply what you have learned. It has the potential to discover something new and advance existing knowledge.  Research will challenge you in new ways and can help you decide what career you want to pursue.

• What is undergrad research? A brief explanation on CRA-E’s Conquer site.
• How do I get started? by Kelly Shaw.
• What are examples of research done by undergraduates?  CRA-E Highlight Series  showcases outstanding research done by undergraduate students.
• Interested in theoretical computer science?  The Theory Matters site describes research challenges as “vision nuggets”.
• Interested in research, but not an academic career? Five videos showcase young researchers with PhDs working in industry.
• What impact does research have on our society?  The National Research Council report on Continuing Innovation in Information Technology highlights the impact of computer science and information technology research on society.
• How do I find out about new and important research areas?  The Computing Community Consortium (CCC) runs workshops, publishes white papers, and highlights presentations on many emerging and important research areas.
• In CRA-W’s Virtual Undergraduate Town Hall Series distinguished computer scientists talk about cutting edge research and how to get involved with undergraduate research.

The first step should be finding out what exists on resources and opportunities in your department and your institution.  Do the research on how to get involved in research! If your department does not have a well-defined process, talk to faculty who were or are your instructors.  Asking a faculty who does not know you to be your research adviser is generally not the most effective step. Some faculty may post research opportunities and expectations.

Here are links to pages on undergraduate research from selected departments and institutions providing good descriptions and general advice for undergraduates interested in research.

• UC Berkeley
• University of Washington
• Georgia Tech
• Cornell University
• University of Oregon

Finding a good research adviser is a first step.  Many resources focus on finding a PhD adviser which is different from finding an adviser for undergraduate research. The institutional websites listed above provide advice on how to find an undergraduate research adviser.

There exist a number of national programs offering research opportunities.  Most are summer programs. All have an application process (with a deadline) and require letters of recommendation.  Stipends a student receives can vary. Opportunities include

• The National Science Foundation REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) Sites Program.
• CRA-W’s 2-pager on undergraduate research
  • Distributed Research Experiences for Undergraduates (DREU)  Program.
  • Collaborative Research Experiences for Undergraduates (CREU) program (during the Academic Year).

For more opportunities at specific institutions or agencies see also CRA-E’s Conquer site.

The path from finding a research adviser and a research topic to publishing research results is often unpredictable. It will be challenging, full of opportunities and obstacles, exciting, and provide you with new opportunities and experiences. Crucial components of  a successful research experience are highlighted below.

• The research process and good research practices
  • Organizing Your Research and Developing Your Research Skills by Kelly Shaw
  • How to Read an Engineering Research Paper by William Griswold
  • Critically reading a research paper/Code reading and analysis (CRA-W activity)
  • Reading, writing, and revising an abstract (CRA-W activity)
• Making research posters and presentations
  • Research Posters 101 and How to write a research poster  by Lorie Cranor
  • Essential poster guidelines from CRA-W ‘s Grad Cohort
  • Advice on giving technical talks by Scot Drysdale
  • Tips for a good conference talk by Jennifer Widom
  • A collection of advice about how to do research and how to communicate effectively  by Mark Leone
  • Oral Presentation Advice by Mark Hill
  • A useful resource when preparing a presentation: Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery by Garr Reynolds
• Writing Papers and Publishing your research
  • The Science of Scientific Writing by George D. Gopen and Judith A. Swan (a classic). Guidelines for clarity without oversimplifying scientific issues.
    • See for examples.
  • How to get your papers published by Matt Welsh
  • Writing Technical Articles by Henning Schulzrinne
  • Tips for writing technical papers by Jennifer Widom
  • Computer Science Writing Advice by Renée Miller
  • Identifying related literature (CRA-W activity)
  • The bibliography-building game (CRA-W activity)
• More on networking and communicating
  • Practicing how to give a good elevator talk (CRA-W activity)
  • Communication and networking: Building your village
• Ethics
  • NIH’s Guiding Principles for Ethical Research
  • “Responsible CS Challenge“, an initiative to integrate ethics into undergraduate computer science courses.

ACM Code of Ethics, for all computing professionals

A number of professional organizations have research award competitions (typically the research adviser makes the nomination) and conferences often provide opportunities for recognizing student research.  Don’t forget to check out research award opportunities in your own department and institution.

• The Computing Research Association (CRA) Undergraduate Research Award. Made annually. Up to four awards with additional designations for runners-up, finalists, and honorable mentions.
• ACM Student Research Competition (a joint venture of ACM and Microsoft). Program Overview.
• A number of conferences recognize papers submitted by students or run separate student research competitions. Examples are ACM SIGCOMM Student Research Competition, ICSE ACM Student Research Competition.
• The Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges (CCSC) runs Regional Student Contests.

Graduate school offers Masters and PhD degrees. PhD’s are always research focused and students are expected to generate new research results. While Masters programs can include research, many are course-based and may center on a particular domain  (e.g., security, data science, AI).

When you apply for admission to graduate school for a PhD, you will be considered for a graduate assistantship as well. Assistantships will provide a monthly stipend that is sufficient to cover your living expenses and will include a waiver of tuition and fees. Financial support opportunities for Masters students vary. For more information see the Conquer website.

Applying to Graduate School

Application processes for PhD and MS applicant can vary. We describe the common application components. Visit the Conquer website for more information.

• Statement of Purpose
  • MIT’s Statement of Purpose Guidelines
  • Writing the Statement of Purpose (UC Berkeley)
  • Princeton Review: How to write a Statement of Purpose for Graduate School
• General GRE resources
  • ETS Webpage
  • Princeton Review
  • Peterson’s
• Letters of Recommendation
  • Q&A’s from Berkeley Career Center
  • Tips for Requesting Letters of Recommendation (Cornell University)
  • How to ask for it (Peterson’s)

Fellowships

Fellowships can provide funding for graduate school without requiring a graduate assistantship. Individual graduate programs may offer fellowships to some admitted students, but in addition, some fellowships are offered by organizations independent of particular graduate programs. Here are links to some of those fellowships:

• The NSF’s Graduate Research Fellowship
• The National Defense Science and Engineering (NDSEG) Fellowship
• The Hertz Foundation Fellowship
• The Department of Energy (DOE) Computational Science Graduate Fellowship
• The CSGrad4US Fellowship  for bachelor degree holders who may be working in industry or other sectors to return to academia and pursue research-based doctoral degrees.

Advice and insights (primarily for PhD applicants)

• Conquer’s FAQs on Graduate School
• CRA-E’s  slide deck every student thinking about graduate school and a PhD should read.
• Getting into CS Graduate School in the USA (targeted at international students; by Emery Berger)
• Common pitfalls of preparing a graduate school application. Results from a survey of applications to Psychology programs (results apply to CS).
• Applying to graduate school (PhD) by Michael Ernst
• Applying to Ph.D. Programs in Computer Science by Mor Harchol-Balter