How to Join

We are currently recruiting for the food pathways project which seeks to map direct marketing networks for every county in California in order to understand how rural and urban food systems are interwoven. Other opportunities are also available in urban planning.

Conducting research is an excellent opportunity to test how much you like the process, build your resume, and influence policy. About 90% of UCD graduating seniors have researched with faculty, helping build the UCDavis R1 reputation as the top agricultural research institution. Several undergraduates have published their research from work in the lab and become scholarly authors.

  • You can work as a volunteer, for academic credit (CRD), for internship credit (CRD), or in some cases as a paid intern. Paying positions involve particularly complex or time-sensitive work and are generally reserved for students who have worked on the project for more than two quarters.
  • Most work can be done off-site, using your computer
  • You are welcome to work on-site; the lab (Hart 2328) is there for you! You can get a key from the business office (Hart Hall, first floor, $10 deposit).

These are the kinds of tasks you might work on:

  • Creating and managing databases
  • Organizing data from secondary sources such as the U.S. Census
  • Interview and survey administration and data entry
  • Map-making

 

Requirements

  • Read the preliminary background material provided by Dr. B and your project lead before you start so that you are familiar with the methods, theory and current understandings in the field and how your research helps further science
  • Scan the lab manual for more information about lab meetings and training
  • Commit to working at least 6 hours per week over at least two quarters
  • Meet once weekly with Dr. B  (or your project lead if they are your main point of contact)
  • Send weekly email update of your progress

 

Lab Meetings

You may receive 1 research unit (pass/fail) for participating in lab meetings (for GEO299). The CRN changes every quarter. The purpose of weekly lab meetings is to:

  • Practice presentations
  • Stay up-to-date on scientific progress through journal club
  • Workshop manuscripts
  • Build camaraderie and share good eats!
  • Take part in yearly trainings to boost your productivity and morale
    • Mentoring Network Map Exercise
    • Dissect and assemble an academic article
      • A very helpful guide to writing academic articles in the social sciences
    • Time management 
    • Develop a writing Pipeline
      • The writing pipeline is a bit like an anti-resume in that you track progress of ideas and attempts, giving yourself credit for effort in the process. The goal of the pipeline is to organize  and celebrate progress.