Resources

Useful Tips on Finding an Undergraduate Research Opportunity:

• If your school is a research university look at faculty web sites, if someone’s work looks particularly interesting make an appointment to speak with them (maybe read a couple of their papers first).
• Does your school have an undergraduate research office? They will have information and know about scholarships and funding.
• Start with someone you know –e.g. did you take a class with a professor whose work sounds interesting?
• Do your homework before talking to them –you are not expected to be an expert but you should be able to talk a little about the subject (be focused rather than vague)
• If they are not interested ask if they can point you in the right direction.
• Talk to your advisor.
• Have a presentable resume!
• This is all good experience even if you don’t end up finding a good match first time around.

If your school is not a research university, or if you don’t find help at your school, google: "Summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs)".
REUs, usually pay you to help with research projects.

Some Undergraduate Research Opportunities and Funding Sources:

• Women @ SCS List of Scholarship/Funding Opportunities
• Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology
• ACM-W ACM Committee on Women in Computing
• ACM-W Scholarships for Attendance at Research Conferences
• Undergraduate Research Office at Carnegie Mellon
• CRA-W CRA Committee on the Status of Women in Computing research
• CREU: Collaborative Research Experience for Undergraduates
  
• CWIT The Center for Women and Information Technology at the University of Maryland Baltimore County
• Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing
• NCWIT National Center for Women & Information Technology
• OCWIC Ohio Celebration of Women in Computing (OCWIC) conference
• National Science Foundation's REU site: Research Experiences for Undergraduates
• The University of Alabama Summer REU program
• The University of Alabama ED-funded GAANN fellowship program
• The Harvard Forest Summer Research Program in Ecology
  
• Systers a Community for Technical Women in Computing
• Student Guide to Scholarships and Fellowships
• Finding a graduate program, lots of good information, finding funding: GradSchools.com

When You Have Some Research Experience:

Think about doing a POSTER as a way into presenting your work. Here are some great conferences for undergraduate research posters

• Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing
• Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing
• Various ACM SIGs

Apply for scholarships to attend other conferences: ask for help with funding from your own schools plus other organizations (see above). Many conferences offer scholarships to help fund your attendance.

Other Good Advice:

• Advice to a Beginning Graduate Student by Professor Manuel Blum, CMU
• Applying to Ph.D.Programs in Computer Science by Professor Mor Harchol-Balter, CMU
• Book: "The Woman's Guide to Navigating the Ph.D. in Engineering & Science" by Barbara B. Lazarus, Lisa M. Ritter and Susan Ambrose, IEEE Press, 2001
• Book: "Getting What You Came For: the Smart Student's Guide to Earning a Master's or Ph.D." by Robert L. Peters, Noonday Press, revised edition 1997