CSU Student Research Competition and Opportunities

 Please see the following exciting research related opportunities!

1. The Office of Student Research is now accepting applications for students/2025 alum (including undergraduate, blended, and graduate students in all disciplines!) to compete in the 2026 CSU Student Research Competition; applications are due no later than EOD on Mon 1/12/26. Cal Poly will select the 10 projects that represent the campus at the CSU SRC via an internal competition.
1. More information & how to apply
2. Information Sessions
1. Th 12/4/25, 2:10-3pm (Zoom Meeting ID 883 6250 1116)
2. Th 1/8/26, 11:10am-12pm (Zoom Meeting ID 883 6250 1116)
3. Have a question? Email studentresearch@calpoly.edu.

2. The Office of Student Research is very excited that we have launched our first self-paced online learning module: “How to Get Involved with Student Research at Cal Poly.” Interested folks can join the Canvas module directly or from studentresearch.calpoly.edu. 
1. We are doing a raffle of $10 Cal Poly bookstore gift cards for the first 100 students who enroll before EOD Wednesday, 11/19/26.
1. Have a question? Email studentresearch@calpoly.edu. 

Summer Internship Opportunity with the Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Consortium (PCCTC)

The Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Consortium (PCCTC) team is seeking a summer intern to contribute to the PCCTC mission while the PCCTC in turn provides exposure and support for interns interested in pursuing careers in clinical research or other health professions! The PCCTC’s distinguished clinical investigators, including former Cal Poly Professor Shannon Pileggi, work together on a single mission: to design, implement and complete hypothesis-driven trials in prostate cancer, translating scientific discoveries to improve standards of care. We offer services to carry out this mission ensuring efficient trial selection, reporting, site management, clinical operations and data management.

The summer intern will work directly with the PCCTC’s Data Science team, gaining hands-on experience with the data oversight and reporting aspects of clinical research within the framework of R programming and version control with git & GitHub. The intern will also have the opportunity meet and learn from staff in other PCCTC divisions, such as Business Operations, Data Management, Clinical Operations, Correlative Sciences and Monitoring.

The team is seeking candidates with previous R or related programming experience; a nice-to-have is git and GitHub experience as well. Knowledge of introductory statistics is helpful; advanced statistics knowledge is not necessary. 

Cal Poly statistics alumna, Kirina Sirohi, and 2022 Data Science intern wrote a blog post about her internship experience; please read it to learn more about the working environment.

See the internship posting here:

https://msk.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/MSKCC_Careers_Primary/job/New-York---Teleworker/Data-Science-Summer-Intern_93446

F3 innovates first Data and AI challenge

Please see the attached flyer for information on F3i's first Data and AI challenge mitigating the risk of frost damage for growers!

 

Nov. 13: UC Davis Statistics Master's & PhD Info Session (Zoom)

 

 

UC Davis Statistics Master’s and PhD programs are currently accepting applications and would like to invite you to attend their upcoming virtual UC Davis Statistics Master's & PhD Info Session on Thursday, November 13, 2025 at 4:30 – 5:30pm. Hosted by faculty members Wolfgang Polonik and Jie Peng and staff members Andi Carr and Amy McFarland, the Info Session will provide information on the UC Davis Statistics Master's and PhD programs, admissions, graduate school, and life at UC Davis. Attendees are requested to please register for the Info Session ahead of time. If there are any questions, please email Amy at stat-grad-staff@ucdavis.edu.

 

2026 Summer REU: Equitable Data Science in Adolescent Development

Dear all, for Summer 2026, the Division of Biostatistics at the University of Minnesota will be hosting a 10-week Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), called Equitable Data Science in Adolescent Development. This 10-week REU is a paid, full-time position designed to give undergraduate students hands-on training and research experience in data science, statistical modeling and machine learning, and scientific communication. Students will analyze data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, the largest longitudinal study on adolescent development in the United States. The titles for Summer 2025's projects are below, to give you an idea of the types of projects the students can work on for Summer 2026:

• Aggregating Asian-Americans Masks Subgroup Variation in Adolescent Psychopathology
• The Impact of Early Life Adversity on Cortical Thinning
• Investigating the Role of Early Life Adversity on Risk for Substance Experimentation
• Who Defines "Typical" Brain Development? Racial Bias in Normative Modeling

Our website contains more details about the program. If you know any undergraduate students who may be interested, please share this website with them, and please encourage them to apply. The deadline for applications is 1 February 2026.

If you have any questions about this program, please let me know.

 

Thanks!

Mark Fiecas

mfiecas@umn.edu 

University of Minnesota

University of Illinois Statistics MS Program Info-Session

Interested in statistics and data science? Want to learn more about how a graduate degree in statistics can create more opportunities for your future? Join us for an informative session on the MS Programs in Statistics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign! Designed for prospective students interested in pursuing a graduate degree in statistics, this session will cover everything you need to know about our programs and the application process.

This session will be held on November 4, 2025 starting at 4:00 PM CST. This presentation will be available through Zoom. Complete this registration form for access to the Zoom link: https://go.illinois.edu/stat-info 

Our MS programs offer comprehensive training in statistical theory, methodology, and data analysis, preparing students for careers in data science, industry, government, or further academic study. Whether you're looking to strengthen your quantitative skills or advance your expertise in modern statistical methods, our programs provide a rigorous and flexible curriculum, with opportunities to tailor your coursework to your career goals. 

During the info session, you'll have the chance to:

• Learn about our MS in Statistics, MS in Statistics with Analytics concentration, and other program options
• Gain insights into the application process, admissions requirements, and key deadlines
• Discover the resources and support available to graduate students, including professional development, networking, and internship opportunities

There will also be a Q&A session where you can ask questions and learn more about how our programs align with your academic and professional aspirations. Don't miss this chance to explore how a graduate degree in statistics from Illinois can help shape your future!

For more information contact Statistics Graduate Admissions at stat-admissions@illinois.edu.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife - Data Science and Survey Design Job Opportunity

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has a job opportunity for recent graduates or other alumni. Here is a link to the job posting: https://calcareers.ca.gov/CalHrPublic/Jobs/JobPosting.aspx?JobControlId=496268 

Here is a brief description of the job opportunity:

Come join a dynamic multidisciplinary team working to protect marine finfish and invertebrate populations while supporting sport fishing opportunities! California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Marine Region is seeking an individual skilled in development of statistically valid and innovative survey designs; conducting and interpreting statistical analyses using appropriate software and statistical models; identification of new strategies for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data to meet CDFW’s responsibility to manage saltwater fisheries in a sustainable manner; and assessment of patterns in fisheries data to forecast future impacts and trends. This position will work independently and as part of a team on development of methods to generate estimates of total fishing effort, catch, and variance from California Recreational Fisheries Survey (CRFS) data and will work in collaboration with others to write computer programs to automate production of monthly and annual CRFS estimates. This position will also function as a prime resource person on statistical and technical guidance in support of other Marine Region sampling programs. The individual will also have the opportunity to apply their statistical knowledge by contributing to stock assessments and population modeling. Do not miss this opportunity to be an integral member of a team working to make a real difference.

 

Sincerely,

Laura

 

Laura Ryley

Senior Environmental Scientist

Fisheries Analytics Project

20 Lower Ragsdale Drive, Suite 100

Monterey, CA 93940

Laura.Ryley@wildlife.ca.gov

(831) 821-3756 – email is preferable at this time