We strongly encourage you to consider working on research for your senior thesis over the summer between 2nd and junior year or between junior and senior year (or both!). There are many opportunities:

All students:

• Summer Internships at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
  • there are two programs, one is for Barnard & Columbia students only, the other is open to a national competition
• American Museum of Natural History
• Mohonk Preserve
• Theodore Gordon Flyfishers Founders Fund scholarship
• Tibor T. Polgar Fellowship
• NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates 

Barnard students only:

• Summer Research Institute
  • you need to identify a research mentor and a project early in the spring semester and there is a good chance that Barnard will support you over the summer.
• Other opportunities available to Barnard students
• Various travel and other Barnard fellowships
• Meet with Prof. Stute in the Environmental Science Department to discuss your options

A few tips:

• How to find a good thesis project
• How to get good letters of recommendation
• A letter that spells out responsibilities of your research mentor