Finding the right opportunity
Choosing the best program that meets your goals and provides you with the experience you need to excel academically and professionally.
Project AROS Lab Research Intern Program
The Project AROS Lab Research Intern program is a Montclair State University initiative in collaboration with US-based and international partners, offering rising MSU undergraduate students practical experience to hone their applied research skills by conducting scholarly research and putting it into practice.
The research intern will primarily work under the supervision of a Project AROS Lab (PAL) faculty member that is and includes a variety of research areas, such as outlined on the PAL research page. Research projects explore, among other areas, various archival resources and create powerful online tools to present research findings and archival content in a user friendly and interactive fashion. Students will acquire digital skills, including virtual mapping skills with ArcGIS software tools and gain familiarity with online publishing tools to transform research results into compelling blog-style stories for public dissemination. Research topics vary on the program cycle but include a range of historical and contemporary issues, such as Cold War world politics, human rights, and environmental justice. Research materials consist mainly of digitized archives, online sources, and social media. Program participants will learn how to collect, organize (code) and analyze large data sets, eventually putting their new skills into practice by drafting research summaries, digitally visualizing their findings, and reporting results among their peers.
The program is a virtual learning experience and offered during regular academic terms lasting one semester starting in the fall or spring. Students register for a course INDT 499 and receive 3 academic credit for the experience. The program experience is renewable.
This experience is also open to John Martinson Honors EDGE students who will register for HONP 490.
Research Intern Responsibilities
- Acquire digital research methods skills, including software tools such as ArcGIS.
- Hone analytical and research writing skills by discussing and summarizing current scholarship.
- Support document curation by creating descriptions of archival documents.
- Collect and organize data from various digital archives, based on institutional websites, database portals and other, related websites.
- Create research summaries, especially for text and visual data in order to create metadata for content analysis.
- Populate and organize online databases with collected data.
- Assist in dataset analysis and visualization.
- Conduct research on topics in global history, international politics, and human rights issues.
- Commit 10-15 hours per week.
- Enroll in course INTD 499 for 3 credits (John Martinson Honors EDGE students participating in the program register for HONP 490).
Profile
The candidate is required to:
- be detail oriented;
- be an independent self-starter;
- be familiar with Microsoft Office software and Google Docs; and
- have an interest in global history, international politics, and human rights issues.
Compensation
- Students will be issued a permit to register for a course INTD 499 and receive 3 academic credits for this experience. The student needs to also fulfill the requirements of that specific course. John Martinson Honors EDGE students participating in the program will register for HONP 490.
Please Contact Project AROS Lab at pal@montclair.edu or Amanda Choo at chooa@montclair.edu if you have any questions.
EDGE Junior Researcher and Leadership Program
The EDGE Junior Researcher and Leadership (E-Research) program is a John Martinson Honors EDGE initiative providing outstanding honors undergraduate students with an opportunity to conduct research and hone essential leadership skills. The initiative originated as a collaboration with the Wilson Center, its Digital Archive and Project AROS.
EDGE Junior Researchers will primarily work on a multiyear research initiative, under the supervision of Professor Arnaud Kurze.
Building on the original goals of this partnership, EDGE Junior Researchers will engage in a multiyear interdisciplinary research project designed to expand and enhance the Wilson Center’s Digital Archive, increasing its visibility and accessibility to diverse audiences—including policymakers, practitioners, scholars, and citizens.
With a collection of over 10,000 historical documents, the Digital Archive offers valuable insights into the Cold War and its aftermath. The project aims to enrich this resource by incorporating new, compelling themes that explore cultural, societal, and human rights dimensions—extending beyond traditional diplomatic and international relations narratives. Through this expansion, the initiative seeks to deepen public understanding of how the legacies of the Cold War continue to shape contemporary global challenges, such as democratic transitions, environmental governance, security, and memory politics.
In following the footsteps of the original initiative, EDGE Junior Research Scholars will actively contribute to scholarly research with national and international partners. This work aligns with the EDGE Program’s mission to foster outstanding academic, experiential, and leadership opportunities for ambitious students. By engaging with interdisciplinary research that bridges history and policy, scholars will hone their analytical and leadership skills, create meaningful community connections, and embody the program’s commitment to preparing exceptional students to become dynamic leaders capable of driving lasting positive change.
The program offers experiential opportunities associated with document curation and data visualization. It is a virtual learning experience and offered during regular academic terms lasting one academic year starting in the fall.
EDGE Junior Researcher Responsibilities
- Support document curation by creating descriptions of archival documents.
- Collect and organize data from various digital archives, based on institutional websites, database portals and other, related websites.
- Create research summaries, especially for text and visual data in order to create metadata for content analysis.
- Populate and organize online databases with collected data.
- Assist in dataset analysis and visualization.
- Conduct research on topics in global history, international politics, and human rights issues.
- Lead small workshop and seminar groups and present research findings in public.
- Use digital methods to produce an individual research project featured on the Project AROS Lab site.
- Commit 10-15 hours per week for the duration of the program (fall and spring).
Profile
The candidate is required to:
- have an outstanding academic record
- be detail oriented;
- be an independent self-starter;
- be familiar with Microsoft Office software and Google Docs; and
- have an interest in global history, international politics, and human rights issues.
Compensation
- Students selected for the program will receive a scholarship for their work.
- Students may apply to receive academic credit for this experience. For more information contact Arnaud Kurze at KurzeA@montclair.edu.
Please contact Arnaud Kurze at KurzeA@montclair.edu if you have any questions.
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