2026 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 2026. 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.
The Center supports students to engage in two types of research projects:
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Research projects organized by the Center (this opportunity). These projects will be mentored by Center-affiliated faculty and staff, and will focus on climate adaptation and water resouces in California and the West. See below for additional details. Deadline: February 15. If funding remains, this opportunity will be re-opened to accept applications until April 1.
- Self-designed research proposed by students about topics related to the American West, including the arts. Learn more and apply through this separate SOLO opportunity. Deadline: submissions received by February 15 will receive priority. The application will remain open until April 1.
To learn more about the kinds of research students have undertaken in the past, this article provides an overview of student research last summer.
Bill Lane Center Organized Research Projects for 2026
We are currently seeking students interested in contributing to the following research projects organized by the Center. Please review the project descriptions to learn more. Students will make a defined contribution while working on a team with other students. In addition to the project PI, research manager Esther Conrad will work with and support students involved.
- Water and climate resilience in California and the West: contribute to two projects supported by the Doerr School’s Sustainability Accelerator aimed at improving sustainable groundwater supplies in California and beyond.
- Building climate resilience in Santa Clara County: conduct research to support implementation of resilience hubs and other climate adaptation strategies.
- Behind levees: How local capacity shapes flood protection in California: assist with research on the maintenance and upgrading of California's levee system, including data analysis and visualization as well as contributing to design and implementation of interviews with levee managers.
Undergraduate students from all years and disciplines are encouraged to apply. Coterm students are eligible if they are paying undergraduate tuition in Spring 2026. Eligibility for this program follows VPUE research student eligibility guidelines. Please review these requirements in detail before applying. In particular, please note:
- Students must be enrolled as an undergraduate in Spring 2026. Students in co-term programs must be in the undergraduate tuition group, and should review this information from the Registrar to determine their status.
- Graduating seniors are not eligible for funding in the summer after degree conferral.
- 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 2026 full time research roles:
- Work 35+ hours/week for 10 consecutive weeks, beginning in late June or early July 2026.
- 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 2026.
- Complete an evaluation at the end of the program
- Stipend: $8,500, plus up to $1,500 supplemental stipend based on financial aid status.
