Uintah Basin Student Research Internship Program

Undergraduate Research Program

Join a team of researchers at USU Uintah Basin this summer as they explore exciting research questions.

Students will work with a faculty mentor at USU Uintah Basin for an eight-week, paid summer internship. During that time, students will make new discoveries and meet senior researchers from across the state of Utah. 

Six students will be selected for the program this summer. Students will choose a mentor for their summer project and be paid to work with them. Students will design a research project with their mentor and present their work to the Uintah Basin research community. Thus, this program will provide an opportunity for students to work USU Uintah Basin research faculty and meet potential employers in the Uintah Basin.

Interns must be at least 16 years old and have completed their junior year of high school. Preference will be given to USU Uintah Basin enrolled students who have completed their first or second undergraduate year. 

2025 Program

Wednesday, June 4 - Thursday, July 31


2025 UBRI Application >>

*You will be prompted to select your program preference on your application. Please rank from 1 to 6, with 1 being your first choice.

Dates & Deadlines:

Applications Open: Wednesday, January 15
Applications Due: Friday, March 21
Applicants Accepted: Friday, April 4

For more information, contact Shana at shana.geffeney@usu.edu or call (435) 722‑1784.

Research Program Options

Wildlife Ecology

Advisor: Mark Chynoweth

Students working with Dr. Chynoweth will be designing and implementing a wildlife monitoring program at the Pariette Wetlands. As part of this long-term project, student researchers will learn how to set up remote camera traps (game cameras) in the field, manage a complex database of photos, and interpret data to help federal wildlife biologists at the Bureau of Land Management. This work will assess impacts of management actions (e.g. prescribed burns). Metrics such as species richness, relative abundance, and basic habitat relationships will be explored by undergraduate research interns.

Evolution and/or Ecology of Reptiles and Amphibians

Advisor: Charles Hanifin

Students working in Dr. Hanifin's lab will have the opportunity to work on projects related to the evolution and ecology of regional reptiles and amphibians. The primary focus of my research in 2025 will be projects associated with the amphibian and reptile diversity at four national parks located in Utah and Colorado. Students working on these projects will have the opportunity to do extensive field work and learn basic tools associated with field studies of reptiles.

Ecology Projects

Advisor: Becky Williams

Interns in Dr. Williams' Ecology Lab have different project options. You might study the chemical ecology of blue-lined octopuses, which possess the deadly neurotoxin, tetrodotoxin (TTX). Alternatively, you could help me, and local state and federal wildlife biologists investigate predators of endangered razorback suckers, the diet of hummingbirds, or tag pollinators of conservation interest, such as Monarch Butterflies. Projects will be determined according to availability and intern interest.

Nervous System Function and Evolution

Advisor: Shana Geffeney

If you are interested in pursuing a medical career, this internship project might be right for you. Interns will learn various techniques, including protein modeling and electrophysiology, to investigate how evolutionary change occurs in the nervous system. We will use a “protein time-machine” approach to model the structure of an ancient snake ion channel, as well as express the channel protein and record its activity. The goals of the project are to understand how garter snakes evolved resistance to the neurotoxin tetrodotoxin (TTX) by comparing an ancient protein to modern forms of the channel. 

Science, Technology, and Society

Advisor: Amanda Katz

Students working in the Katz history lab will learn how to apply historical methods for the purposes of constructing a well-informed historical narrative. Specifically, research project(s) will include reading, organizing, cataloging, and interpreting data sets regarding transportation infrastructure, cultural heritage, and sustainability. Students are also welcome to suggest additional elements – or specific project goals – so long as they adhere to the broader themes of science, technology, environment, and cultural factors. They can be local projects, rooted in the Uintah Basin, or regional, national, or even global in scope. Students will have opportunities to explore the use of digital history tools and archives to assist them in their historical interpretations.

Medicinal Chemistry

Advisor: Mike Christiansen

Albusamide C is a recently discovered natural molecule that is potent against 12 cancer cell lines, so it has great promise as a future anticancer medicine. Because nature only makes this molecule in tiny amounts, organic chemistry must be used to produce large quantities. Students on this project will learn fundamental organic chemistry techniques and help to invent a way of making Albusamide C on large scale.