Student Opportunities

Explore Opportunities for Growth, Learning, and Impact

We are dedicated to helping students learn and grow as scientists and we support our majors in a variety of research and service opportunities.

Paid Positions

We encourage our majors to consider our paid peer tutoring, grading, and Learning Assistant positions.

Tutoring

To get help with classes and assignments, visit the Tutoring Center in ISELF 332 or contact your professor.

To sign up as a paid tutor, please use Handshake. Contact Kevin Haglin for more information about tutor responsibilities and available positions.

Grading

Apply with the department chair in the first few weeks of fall or spring term to serve as a grader.

Learning Assistants

For students pursuing a role in teaching, classroom experience is vital. In our LA program, students work 10 hours/week assisting a professor in developing assignments, helping run the daily operation of a class, and delivering focused tutoring. An LA should be prepared to take a 1-credit STEM 399 Pedagogy course, participate in a 1-hour/week meeting with the faculty mentor, and deliver 8 additional hours/week of course support as specified by the instructor. Please contact Dr. Sinko for more information. Applications are typically accepted in the middle of a term for the following term.

Scholarships

Scholarship applications are accessible through Huskies Scholarships. The application period for the following year usually opens early in the spring term, with a due date in March. Check the Huskies Scholarship website for specifics. Your academic advisor can guide you in preparing an application.

SCSU Physics Scholarships

• Physics and Astronomy Endowed Scholarship
• Alfred Pavlish Physics Teaching Scholarship

SCSU Science and Engineering Scholarships

Scholarships financially support your education, help you avoid student loan debt, and look great on a resume. Search Huskies Scholarships to find additional scholarships. For example, check out:

• Charles L. Nelson College of Science and Engineering Scholarship
• College of Science and Engineering Scholarship
• Darlene M. Carlson Science Encouragement Scholarship for Freshmen
• Darlene M. Carlson Scholarship for Juniors in the Sciences
• Dorothy Esler Memorial Scholarship
• George Stein College of Science and Engineering Internship Scholarship
• James F. Brobin Secondary Education Scholarship
• John C. and Elsie M. Coulter Scholarship in Science Education
• Robert and Alice Wick Sciences Scholarship

External Scholarships

• Barry Goldwater Scholarship: Eligibility information here (Barry Goldwater Eligibility Criteria). Typically, sophomores or juniors apply for this nationally competitive scholarship for exceptional students intending to pursue a career in STEM research. The application process is somewhat complicated, and the deadline is the last Friday in January each year. Begin preparations in the fall. Applicants must be U.S. citizens. If interested, please contact Dr. Sinko (St. Cloud State campus representative).
• NSF-Noyce STEM Teacher Scholarship: NSF-Noyce Informational Flyer and NSF-Noyce Interest Form. This scholarship covers full room/board/tuition/fees + $1,500 per semester, with leadership involvement in the St. Cloud State LA program for your last four semesters. After graduation, you commit to teaching at a high-need K-12 school district for four years. Follow the instructions in the flyer and form to apply.

Student Research

Student research is increasingly essential in graduate school applications and trains valuable skills such as teamwork, planning, and creative adaptability needed for industrial occupations.

External Opportunities

• NASA Internships for U.S. Citizens [U.S. Citizenship Required]
• NASA Internships for International Students
• NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs) [U.S. Citizenship Required]
• Internships at U.S. National Labs: Fermi Lab, Los Alamos, Sandia [U.S. Citizenship Required]

Student Research at St. Cloud State

• Ask or email a professor to find a project and get involved!

• 2021 SCSU Mentor-Student Research Grants: These grants pay for project supplies or travel. Go here (SCSU Research & Sponsored Programs) to apply. Deadlines are typically early Fall and early Spring.
• SCSU Physics & Astronomy Department currently has special funding for paid summer research. Email Dr. Haglin for information.
• SCSU Huskies Summer Research Fellowship (HSRF) can pay up to $2,000 for a multi-week research commitment in early summer, plus $500 for supplies. Deadline is typically in early February. Apply here!
• For research opportunities in our department, visit our Research page and contact a faculty member.

List of Past Student Research Projects

Physics and Astronomy Student Research, Fall 2021 - Summer 2022 Amr Abdo, Devin Fleck, Braden Sahlstrom, and Nicholas Shea — Sphere Dropping Device for Laser Experiments (with Prof. Little (MME), and Prof. Sinko) Brian Davis — Steel Particle Analysis for Laser Space Debris Analysis (with Prof. Sinko) Dane Larson — Laser Aluminum Ablation for Space Debris Reduction (with Prof. Sinko)

Service and Community Engagement

Get involved in the broader impacts of physics!

STEM Outreach

Support the next generation of scientists and engineers!

• Judge for the Central Minnesota Regional Science and Engineering Fair (contact Dr. Haglin to get involved)
• Science Rocks (contact Dr. Haglin or Dr. Sinko to get involved)
• Assist in workshops for girls engaging in science: AAUW Tech Savvy (contact Dr. Haglin or Dr. Sinko to get involved)

Physics & Astronomy Club

We are an active, award-winning student organization. Some typical activities include game nights, field trips to national lab facilities (recent destinations included Fermi Lab, the Soudan mine/MINOS, and the NOvA experiment), canoeing on the Mississippi River, STEM outreach, and building devices of mad physics—recent projects included a Rubens tube and a Tesla coil.