DTM, in collaboration with Carnegie's Geophysical Laboratory, sponsors the Summer Scholars Program in Geoscience for college undergraduate science majors.

This program is funded by the National Science Foundation and is managed by This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it of the Geophysical Laboratory.

Click here for more information about applying to the Summer Scholars Program.

About the Program

Two of DTM's 2009 summer interns: Allison Wende and Rebecca Rattray. Not pictured: Laura Flagg and Caroline Walk

The Department of Terrestrial Magnetism (DTM) and the Geophysical Laboratory (GL) of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, a nonprofit scientific research institution located in Washington DC, have been leaders in earth science research and education since their founding. The goal of our summer internship program is to provide eligible undergraduate students with a participatory introduction to scientific research. Fundamental investigations in the geosciences (experimental petrology, mineralogy, mineral physics, seismology), planetary sciences and astronomy, and related chemical sciences (inorganic and organic geochemistry, cosmochemistry) are pursued.

During a ten-week summer program, undergraduate students will conduct an individual research project with guidance from a DTM or GL staff member. Throughout the summer, students will also tour other DC area research facilities and participate in a weekly seminar program. The summer program will start June 1, 2010 and end August 6, 2010. This program has been funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation's "Research Experiences for Undergraduates" program, by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research ASSURE Program, and by the Carnegie Institution of Washington.

Research Topics:

• Experimental Petrology (diamond formation, solubility of silicates in aqueous fluids, phase equilibria of hydrous minerals)


• Mineralogy (petrologic studies of significant rock-forming minerals, X-ray diffraction studies of phase transitions in minerals)


• Seismology (global and regional studies, mantle anisotropy, earthquake rupture processes); planetary geology (the interior of Mars, volcanism and tectonics on Mars)


• Astronomy (formation of star- and planet-forming disks, star formation in the Milky Way)


• Mineral Physics (high-pressure materials science, planetary gases, pressure-induced amorphization, crystallization, chemical bonding and electronic transitions, including computational physics)


• Biogeochemistry (isotope studies of climate change, paleo-oceanographic conditions, and prehistoric human behavior, the behavior of organic compounds at high temperature and pressure, astrobiology)


• Geochemistry (magma chamber processes, isotopic studies of mantle evolution or crustal genesis, formation of ancient volcanic rocks)


• Cosmochemistry (meteoritics, presolar stellar grains); analytical chemistry (secondary ion and plasma mass spectrometry)

See the DTM and GL Web sites for more information on research conducted by students.

DTM's 2007 summer interns

Eligibility:

Undergraduate students pursuing a degree in geoscience, physics, chemistry, materials science, biology, astronomy or a related field, who are considering scientific research as a potential career, are encouraged to apply. To be eligible to participate in the program, students must have completed at least 30 semester-hour credits by the start of the summer program, and be either citizens or permanent residents of the United States. Graduating seniors are not eligible to apply. The Carnegie Institution of Washington is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

DTM's 2006 summer interns

Stipend for ten week program: $4,300

In addition to the stipend, housing is provided. All interns will be housed in dormitories at American University, about 1.5 miles from the Broad Branch Campus where both GL and DTM are located. Our campus can easily be reached from AU using D.C.'s METRO bus system. Participants will also receive support toward travel expenses to Washington DC and back again at the conclusion of the program.

Recent projects by interns at DTM:

DTM's 2004 summer interns

• Crustal Structure Under Yunnan Province and the SE Tibetan Plateau Using Teleseismic Data

• Atmospheric Motion Under Stellar Irradiation on HD 209458b


• HD 141569: Part of a larger association?


• Modeling the Origin of Extrasolar Comets Around the Star IRC+10216


• Global Dynamics of the 55 Cancri Planetary System


• Directivity of Intraslab Earthquakes in Tonga


• What Effects Could Obliquity Have on Exoplanetary Observations?


• Intermediate-depth Seismicity in Central America: Reactivation or Fault Creation?


• MHD Turbulence in the Upper Atmosphere of Extrasolar Giant Planets


• Shear Wave Splitting from Local Events in Japan


• Evaluating Subduction Potential from the Predictions of Numerical Models


• A Reexamination of Radial Velocity Data Using Particle Swarm Optimization


• Hydrous Synthesis of Aluminum Bearing Silicate Perovskite: Implications for Hydrogen Storage in the Lower Mantle