Research and Development (R&D) in the Open Lab Undergraduate Internships are summer term paid undergraduate student appointments within the University Library System’s Digital Scholarship Services (DSS). Undergraduate Interns work on Digital Scholarship projects in an experimental technology lab setting (Open Lab @ Hillman). This program provides designated time for selected interns to gain experience in both foundational digital competencies and the skills of contemporary digital scholarship through collaborative, project-based work. Undergraduate Interns will explore innovative technologies and their potential applications to scholarly work at Pitt and make a public presentation of their work.
Blending traditional academic research skill acquisition with creative “R&D”, hacking, and making activities, this internship is intended to prepare students for success in future academic and career endeavors related to critical making and technology-engaged research. Students applying to take part in this opportunity must identify a specific research question or project idea they would like to explore; DSS and OL staff will work with students to refine the scope of the research and/or exploration of digital tools or methods that they will undertake during the program.
The program will take place over 12 weeks during which each student commits up to 20 hours per week to carry out a small-scale “research and development” project. Applicants are asked to select one digital research method (from List A) and one makerspace technology (from List B) and identify how they’d like to explore the overlap between these topics during their internship. For example, they might want to explore how virtual reality might be used to represent maps, or how laser cutting might be used to visualize data, or how arduinos could be used for storytelling, or how data management can be used to describe or organize 3D models/prints. There are many possible combinations, each providing opportunities to get creative as well as possible challenges. What kind of project can you imagine to explore creative and academic applications using your selected research method and makerspace technology?
Research Method (List A) | Makerspace Technology (List B) |
Data Management (organizing research materials, understanding how computers store information, making data reusable) | 2D or 3D Digitization (scanning) |
Data Visualization (representing information visually in a chart or infographic) | 3D Modeling |
Digital Mapping (plotting locations on a map, using maps in a narrative, learning how to georeference an image) | 3D Printing |
Digital Publishing (digital storytelling, creating a web app, writing narratives for a public audience, learning about scholarly publishing platforms) | Laser Cutting and Engraving |
Multimedia Scholarship (editing images or audiovisual materials, combining text with images or A/V in a narrative) | Physical Computing (examples: arduinos, microcontrollers, wearable electronics) |
Network Analysis (understanding relationships between people/places/things, learning to perform quantitative analysis of network data) | XR Technology (augmented reality [AR], mixed reality [MR]) |
Text Mining and Analysis (learning to perform qualitative and quantitative analysis of text documents, understanding the steps involved in making digital copies of analog texts) | Virtual Reality (VR) |
| Other (general fabrication, textiles) |
Each week the Undergraduate Interns will spend approximately 75% of their time working independently on their selected “research and development” topics, which may involve experimentation with Open Lab equipment and tools, building prototypes, literature searching about makerspace technologies or research methods, interviewing experts in the field, developing skills with particular software, and working on the creation of their final report. Additionally, Interns will benefit from co-learning with their cohort of peers by participating in weekly cohort check-ins, which will take the form of a meeting followed by a co-working session where Interns will provide progress updates, informally teach each other about what they are learning, share challenges they are experiencing, discuss readings assigned to the cohort as a whole, and work collaboratively in a shared space.
During the 12-week program Undergraduate Interns will produce:
The Undergraduate Intern commits to work 20 hours a week during the summer term.
$15/hour, 20 hours per week May 20 – August 9, 2024
If you are interested in applying for this position, please complete the following application form by Friday, March 29, 2024: pi.tt/rdol-2024apply.
Applications in PittWorx without a corresponding application form response will not be considered.
Applications will be evaluated based on applicants’ responses, specifically how clearly they identify their learning goals for the internship (based on the identified research method and makerspace technology) and ways this opportunity aligns with their personal and career goals.
Up to three Undergraduate Interns may be hired in Summer 2024. Successful applicants will be notified by April 26, 2024. Please direct any questions to open-lab@pitt.edu.
