Get Involved
W&M Students: Start my Application
The Process
Each semester, students can apply to be a member on one of our four teams - geoData, geoParsing, geoBoundaries and geoDev. Applicants go through a two-stage process, filling out an online form and then (if selected) going through a short in-person meeting with the team lead for the geo team you are interested in joining. Selection is very competitive - we generally get about 20 applicants for each individual we admit into the lab; you will generally hear back from us at the end of the semester in which you apply. The application form can be found here.
The Commitment
Students in the geoLab are expected to work a minimum of 4 hours a week with their team, generally as a part of a weekly team meeting. Students who opt to do so can participate at a higher number of hours as a part of semester-long projects (for course credit or, in some cases, paid), but such additional commitments are always optional. In addition, students are expected to attend at least one orientation session at the beginning of their time with the lab.
The Benefits
In addition to providing an opportunity to get real-world research experience during your time at William and Mary, students that join the lab have access to the following resources and opportunities:
- Ability to apply to geoFellowships, semester-long research opportunities working with external groups to analyze spatial data (see past examples of these opportunities here).
- Unique summer internship opportunities with partners of the geoLab (see where past students have gone here).
- Access to the geoLab space in ISC 1109, equipped with desktop computers (multi-monitor), workspaces, a beanbag, and the biggest television on campus. Steps away from Starbucks.
- Your name on citations for any datasets released by your team in the year(s) in which you participated.
- Ability to move into leadership roles in the lab, including Team Leads of each project.
