2025 Summer Research Opportunities with the Bill Lane Center for the American West: Organized Projects
Overview
The Bill Lane Center for the American West offers on-campus research opportunities for Stanford undergraduates to work with faculty on projects engaged with issues related to Western land and life in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The Center's vision of the West extends from San Francisco Bay to the 100th meridian, from Western Canada to all of Mexico and outward to the Pacific world. The Center supports research, teaching and reporting about Western land and life through three broad areas: 1) history, arts, and culture; 2) energy and environment; and 3) Western governance and policy.
The Center’s Research Program supports undergraduate students to undertake original research with faculty, working full-time for 35+ hours per week for 10 consecutive weeks during Summer 2025. Students meet regularly with their mentor(s) to discuss research goals and plans. The Center also organizes regular gatherings among its summer research students to foster community. Summer research students present their results during the Bill Lane Center’s seminar series on the American West during fall quarter.
To learn more about the kinds of research students have undertaken in the past, this article provides an overview of student research during Summer 2024.
Bill Lane Center Research Priorities and Projects for Summer 2025
We are currently seeking students interested in contributing to research projects organized by the Center. Students will focus on one of these topics, and will make a defined contribution while also working on a team with other students. Students will be mentored by the Center’s director Prof. Bruce Cain as well as the research manager Dr. Esther Conrad.
The following project opportunities are currently available. Please discuss your specific interest in these projects in your application. Apply as soon as possible, and no later than April 1.
Water and climate resilience in California and the West: in collaboration with partners such as the Environmental Defense Fund, OneShoreline (a local government agency working on climate solutions) and others, students may contribute research on the following topic areas:
- Analysis of policies and incentives to advance repurposing of land to reduce groundwater use and promote groundwater recharge in California and the West;
- Analysis of opportunities to improve drought resilience in the San Francisco Bay Area, including through water recycling and groundwater banking strategies; and
- Policy analysis related to implementation of California's 2015 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, including analyzing progress toward implementing Groundwater Sustainability Plans and the effectiveness of various dispute resolution strategies
Promoting a just transition away from fossil fuels in California and the West: in collaboration with the Governor’s Office for Business and Economic Development, a team of students will contribute to our on-going efforts to understand barriers to transitioning municipal fleets to zero emission vehicles and recommend strategies to address them.
Affordable housing and climate risks: To help address California's urgent need to expand affordable housing, current state law sets a target for the number of housing units each jurisdiction must seek to develop. Yet, concerns are arising regarding how climate risks are being considered in this process. We will analyze statewide data and maps on housing and climate risks, and collaborate with local government leaders in Santa Barbara County to understand the challenges from a local perspective and investigate potential solutions.
Undergraduate students from all years and disciplines are encouraged to apply. Coterm students are eligible if they are paying undergraduate tuition in Spring 2025. Eligibility for this program follows VPUE student research eligibility guidelines. Please review these requirements in detail before applying. In particular, please note:
- Student athletes should confirm the impact of any awarded stipend on their athletic eligibility by contacting the Compliance Services Office prior to committing to a research project.
- Stipends, prizes, or awards paid to undergraduate students who are receiving other forms of financial aid for any purpose are a form of financial assistance and may require adjustment to a student's scholarship eligibility, and/or adjustment to their overall cost of attendance. The Financial Aid Office has the responsibility to determine whether adjustments are necessary and it's the individual responsibility of the student to contact the Financial Aid Office about the impact of their grant to their overall cost of attendance. This policy applies during quarters when students are registered for classes and therefore should not affect students participating in our summer research program.
Students participating in the Bill Lane Center’s summer research program are not permitted to engage in another full-time internship, research position, job, or volunteer opportunity (whether funded by Stanford or otherwise).
Requirements and Stipend for Summer 2025 full time research roles
- Work 35+ hours/week for 10 consecutive weeks, beginning in late June or early July 2025.
- Participate in weekly meetings with the faculty mentor and/or the Center’s research manager
- Participate in cohort gatherings if possible (typically, we organize 3-4 lunches on campus each summer).
- Present your research findings during the Center’s American West Seminar Series in Fall 2025.
- Complete an evaluation at the end of the program
- Stipend: $8,000, plus up to $1,500 supplemental stipend based on financial aid status.
