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Categories Of Membership

Core Member
Core lab members join early in their undergraduate careers with the expectation that they will remain members until they graduate. For them, the lab provides an ‘academic community’ that encompasses not just research but a comprehensive mentoring environment designed to help members succeed in their studies and move on to a career in an environmental field. Core members are expected to assume a leadership role as they progress, providing mentoring in turn to new members.

Core members are typically enrolled in a degree program related to the environment. The obvious options are Biological Sciences and Environmental Sciences, but students in other programs will be considered if they can demonstrate that their focus is on environmental challenges.

Affiliate Member
Affiliate members are usually students doing a limited-time research project that falls under the broad umbrella of the UEL. For example, if you sign up for an Independent Study with one of the co-directors, or participate in an Honors project that is coordinated with the UEL, you will be a lab member for the period of your project. The UEL will also maintain a list of discrete research projects that anyone can apply to participate in.

Affiliate members can come from any discipline, and we encourage all students who care about the environment to look at the list of projects and see if they can bring their specific skills to bear. Or, feel free to suggest a project!

What You Will Get and What is Expected of You

All Members
All members have access to the UEL lab space and the equipment therein, and to appropriate research advice from the Directors and/or senior students. They may check out books from the lab library, and request loans from the ‘personal equipment’ store to assist with field work. All members are expected to contribute to the core life of the UEL during their time there, which means attending weekly lab meetings, performing research and writing it up for publication or otherwise presenting it.

Core Members
Core members are the heart of the UEL. As well as research mentoring, core members receive broader academic and career mentoring, including help with selecting classes, finding internships and other training opportunities, applying to graduate or other professional schools, etc.

Because core members can take on more involved research projects, they are expected to apply for appropriate research funding. In addition, core members are encouraged to take on leadership roles as they progress through their academic career. This will involve assisting new core and affiliate members get adjusted to the lab and to academic life, passing on research skills that you have learned, and perhaps serving as an ‘expert consultant’ on course-based research projects that are coordinated through the UEL.

As they near graduation, core members will have a wide variety of experiences and accomplishments that will look impressive on a resumé or CV and assist them into the next phase of their career. They can also expect a detailed letter of recommendation. [I’m hoping that eventually this section will include information about possible scholarships or other awards supporting UEL membership.]

Affiliate Members
Affiliate members are typically doing a specific research project, and receive ‘team’ guidance and assistance with that as appropriate. During their time as a UEL lab member they will experience the wider life of a research lab and get exposure to a variety of projects, both of which will help them determine if research is something they want to be part of their career going forward.

Just as with core members, affiliate members are expected to contribute to the life of the UEL during their time there, which means attending weekly lab meetings, performing their research and writing it up for publication or otherwise presenting it.

Upon completion of their project, affiliate members will have a concrete accomplishment they can put on their resumé or CV, and can (and should) request a letter of recommendation when the time comes to move on to a job or to graduate school.

When to Apply

You can apply to join the UEL as a core member before you come to NJIT. If accepted, you will be a provisional member pending your acceptance to, and matriculation at, NJIT.

You can also apply to join the UEL as a core member if you are freshman or sophomore already at NJIT. (In some cases we might consider accepting a more senior student: if you are interested, get in touch.)

Any student already at NJIT can join the UEL as an affiliate member: it happens automatically when you are accepted into a specific research project associated with the UEL.

How to Apply

Core Membership
If you are interested in joining the UEL as a core member, please fill out this form, and someone will be in touch.

Affiliate Membership
Affiliate members automatically join the UEL when they sign up for a research project with one of the UEL directors. This might be something you approached that individual about yourself, or it might be one of the project openings listed on the UEL website. There is no separate application form for affiliate membership.