MURI: Paleoclimate Undergraduate Research Assistant

Seasonal role: 8/26/2024-5/15/2025 

Estimated pay: $14.00 per hour  

Company division: Institute for Engaged Learning  

Location type: On-site 

Academic year up to 10 hours per week

Undergraduates Only

Job Description: 

DUE is home to IEL and the CRL which is administering the Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Institute (MURI) both in the academic year and the summer, which creates and supports multidisciplinary research teams consisting of undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, senior staff and faculty. The primary purpose of these teams is to provide undergraduates a unique opportunity to gain research skills by working with mentors on real world problems. 

Project summary: 

Students will work in a group setting to develop records of past climate-flood-human interactions using floodplain lake sediments from the Missouri, Mississippi, and Ohio Rivers. Students will prepare sediment samples for physical sedimentological and geochemical analyses to reconstruct flooding histories. The students will then synthesize the data they produce with paleoclimate and archaeological data to investigate climate-flood-human interactions.

Specific tasks that the MURI student will complete:  

- Split and image floodplain lake sediment cores
- Sub-sample sediment cores and prepare samples for sedimentological and geochemical analyses
- Measure grain size and geochemical make up of samples using instruments at IUI
- Prepare samples for analysis at other institutions
- Interpret the data produced
- Synthesize results with existing data
- Produce a research poster for presentation at IU Indianapolis Research Day

Specific qualifications (knowledge, skills, class standing, etc.) we desire the MURI candidate to have: 

• Applicants with no prior experience are welcome to apply. No experience in anthropology, geology, environmental science, or science in general is needed.

Learning objectives: 

In accordance with the IU Indianapolis Profiles of Learning for Undergraduate Success, experience in MURI positions will help students meet the learning outcomes below and become acquainted with the following profiles: 

Communicator 

Convey ideas effectively and ethically in oral, written, and visual forms across public, private, interpersonal, and team settings, using face-to-face and mediated channels 

Innovator

Approach situations in original ways, pose solutions and encourage others to share their thoughts. Carry out and execute plans to completion and address complex research problems to make a difference within research and communities. 

Problem solver 

Make connections among ideas and experiences, gain analytical skills to evaluate current procedures and determine effectiveness through use of data and research.