Undergraduate Summer Research Internships
The Western Undergraduate Summer Research Internships (USRI) program provides undergraduate students with engaged research experiences and opportunities to learn new research methods and techniques alongside faculty mentors. It also helps develop skills in preparation for future careers.
The Don Wright Faculty of Music typically offers 5–8 USRI positions each summer.
USRI Overview
What does the USRI program offer?
- A stipend in the amount of $9268 (summer 2024) to an undergraduate student to work with a faculty member as an intern on a research project from May to August.
- Access to a wide range of professional development sessions for students to support their research work, career development, and gain exposure to new approaches to research dissemination, etc.
What does a USRI project look like?
- A short-term research project that can be executed from start to finish in 16 weeks that teaches an undergraduate student a range of research skills relevant to their area of study.
- The project will align with the research needs of the supervisor and advance their research program, while also providing a strong learning experience for the student.
- At the end of the internship students will produce a piece of work, which could take the form of an infographic, poster or other visual representation, blog, podcast, short video etc. and will be determined in collaboration with the supervisor.
Which students are eligible?
- All Music undergraduate students enrolled in the Winter term and who will be returning to Western in the Fall term are eligible, although those who will enter their final year in the Fall will be given preference. Current final year undergraduate students who are planning to return next year for a graduate degree at the Don Wright Faculty of Music are also eligible.
- Faculties are encouraged to consider the diversity of their awardees and to provide opportunities for students from under-represented groups, including Black, Indigenous, students of colour, students with disabilities, students who self-identify as LGBTQ2S+ and women, as part of the ongoing commitment Western has made for equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and Indigenization.
2024 Timeline and How to Apply
This timeline may change from year to year.
February 10: Project proposals are submitted to the Don Wright Faculty of Music Research Committee by Music faculty members who wish to work with students through the program. The project ideas are for the most part driven by Music faculty members’ research. However, if an undergraduate student has a project idea they would like to pitch to a faculty member at Music, they may contact the faculty member directly (well in advance of this deadline).
March 4–15: Eligible Music undergraduate students are invited to apply for the positions that have been approved. Students apply to the relevant project supervisor by providing information, transcripts and their resume.
March 15–20: Faculty supervisors review student applications and conduct interviews.
March 20: Faculty supervisors provide the names of their chosen interns.
March 20–25: Successful interns sign contract letters.
May 1: Internships start.
Past USRI Projects
- develop new processes and strategies for Nota Bene (student research publication);
- research vocal works by Black composers
- research existing repertoire listings and resources that support diversifying and expanding programming
- organize recorded audio/video media from the Magisterra archive
- research new solo viola repertoire composed over the past 35 years by underrepresented composers
- examine concerts currently being organized in support of Ukraine in North America, following the 2022 Russian invasion
- digital music editor for the supervisor's commercial audio (music) recording
- translate late-eighteenth- and early-nineteenth-century documents
- a study of the rock music scene in Toronto during the period 1965–70
- update and diversify Western University's audio engineering curriculum
- The Loudness of Popular Music Recordings in the Digital Age, 1985–2020
- comprehensive compilation to aid technical requirements for current violin students in the studio
- co-design a large-scale cross-faculty outdoor performance
