Student summer opportunities

Funding from the Office of the Dean

We all recognize the tremendous and unprecedented challenges that the COVID-19 crisis has presented to our students, particularly in the form of academic disruption and the associated financial impact.

To complement efforts at the department level to address this dire situation, we have identified funding sources from the Dean’s Office to support students’ summer research projects. If a project is selected, we will make available up to a three-month summer stipend of $6,400 per proposal, to be paid directly to students. Please complete and submit your application. For questions, please consult this FAQ.

The application deadline is Friday, May 15. Our goal is to announce awards by Friday, May 22.

An application may be submitted by either a student or a faculty member. Applications will be reviewed in consultation with academic units. If the proposal comes from a student, the student must identify a faculty member who has agreed to supervise the project. If the proposal is from a faculty member, the faculty member does not have to identify a student, though this is preferable. Otherwise, the Dean’s Office and the departments will work to identify appropriate students for that project. 

Important considerations around funding

The funding sources for most of these awards are two endowed funds that have restrictions associated with their use:

  1. Aga Khan Program in Islamic Art/Architecture. Proposed projects should relate—ideally directly—to the Islamic world and its art and/or architecture. We can fund up to 10 proposals.
  2. The Paul Sun Fund. Proposed projects should relate—ideally directly—to Chinese or Asian architecture and planning. We can fund up to 20 proposals.

We also have some funds available that do not have any restrictions associated with them, which can fund up to 12 proposals.

We cannot guarantee that all proposals will be funded; much depends on the level of demand and the restrictions that are placed on our funds. Staff in the Dean’s Office will work with those in the School’s academic units in making selections and awards.

Other sources of summer support

Please note that most opportunities have a May 15 application deadline, though some may have rolling acceptances.

Department of Urban Studies and Planning

Department of Architecture

Program in Art, Culture and Technology

Transmedia Storytelling Initiative

Summer Funds Available

Priority given to graduate students and 2020 graduates in Architecture, DUSP, and MAS, but open to all in the MIT community, these positions and fellowships can begin as soon as June 1. It is expected that they will conclude by the beginning of the fall semester, unless noted otherwise.

TA positions

2 Hourly positions in a standard TA-ship to assist in research, preparation, and teaching of the following subjects:

Summer Workshop: “Immersive Visualization and Storytelling.”

Taught by Cagri Zaman, Director of the SA+P Virtual Experience Design Lab, this class will be a 6-week summer workshop on immersive visualization and storytelling. The class will address the emerging need for remote design education and provide students with a range of visualization techniques and technologies from photogrammetry to XR. Particular emphasis will be given to remote collaboration in spatial media, such as reviewing architectural models in virtual reality. At the end of the class, each student will produce a short “immersive story”. This class will prepare students for the fall transmedia class on presence and XR.

The TA will assist in organizing the class materials and helping teach the class. Technical background is not crucial, but experience with game engines, virtual and augmented reality is preferred. 20 hours/week.  To apply, email: Cagri Zaman zaman@mit.edu

Fall Transmedia Class:  “All About Presence \ XR” (Working Title)

Taught by Cagri Zaman, Director of the SA+P Virtual Experience Design Lab, in collaboration with Professor D. Fox Harrell, Director of the Center for Advanced Virtuality, “All About Presence|XR” will explore established and emerging modes of producing “presence” in various cultural encounters, with an emphasis on the valuation of presence in creative practices that are both challenged and expanded by various XR encounters. From perceptual and temporal experiences in physical space to online representations, digital avatars, podcasts, and virtual and augmented reality, each mode of presence has a different set of constraints and potentials for representation, intention, and action. This course will explore these elements through a series of design exercises. The course will explore an interdisciplinary field of cognitive science, media studies, and design, and aim to discover new forms of remote-design practices that will be important for the post-pandemic education.

The TA will assist in organizing the class materials and helping with the class scheduled for the fall. Some preparation/hours spent in the summer of 2020; this TA-ship may be an extension of the summer workshop TA. Technical background is not crucial, but experience with game engines, virtual and augmented reality is preferred. 20 hours/week. To apply, email: Cagri Zaman zaman@mit.edu.

Transmedia Storytelling Production Grants

Transmedia Storytelling incorporates all forms of traditional and digital media, but usually deploys multiple formats across several platforms to engage users in producing alternative storyworlds or media additions that can expand the narrative/non-narrative possibilities. Students with transmedia ideas and stories to tell are encouraged to apply for summer production grants. You may request funding for software, equipment, or other support to enable you to bring your ideas to completion; applications should provide a paragraph that describes the project, with a brief budget. Funded projects will be shared in an online forum with interested faculty at the end of the summer. Grants will range from $1,000–$5,000, but no request is too small. To apply: email TSI-admin@mit.edu

Transmedia Storytelling: Distanced Residency

Transmedia Storytelling incorporates all forms of traditional and digital media, but usually deploys multiple formats across several platforms to engage users in producing alternative storyworlds or media additions that can expand the narrative/non-narrative possibilities. Current students and 2020 graduates who have advanced practices that would benefit from sustained focus are invited to apply for “Distanced Residencies.” Remote fellows will be gathered for presentations of their work and group discussions, as if in shared residency; funded projects will be shared in an online forum with interested faculty at the end of the summer. Grants will align with the summer stipends offered in the School of Architecture and Planning: $6,400 per student. Applications should provide a strong paragraph that summarizes the nature of your practice, and the work to be accomplished during the summer residency. The names of two recommenders should be provided, with their email contact information. To submit applications, email TSI-admin@mit.edu.

Transmedia Storytelling: Collaborative Teams

Transmedia Storytelling incorporates all forms of traditional and digital media, but usually deploys multiple formats across several platforms to engage users in producing alternative storyworlds or media additions that proliferate narrative/non-narrative possibilities.  Current students and 2020 graduates are invited to form teams and submit applications for collaborative projects to be conducted over the summer and ideally completed before fall. Collaborations can feature research, design, or production, but goals should be clearly defined with benchmarks for progress over June, July, and August.  Grants will approximate $2,000 per team member, but funding is flexible and we are open to considering higher support depending on number of applications. Applications should provide a description of the team and a clear articulation of the work to be accomplished during the grant period. The names of two recommenders should be provided, with their email contact information. To submit applications, email TSI-admin@mit.edu.

Transmedia Storytelling Equipment Purchases

Transmedia Storytelling incorporates all forms of traditional and digital media, but combines media tools and recordings in innovative ways that then open the results to multiple interpretations and ongoing deployments. Current Students and 2020 graduates are welcome to apply for recording equipment or other media tools needed to further their practice or attempt a new skill; grants will be made for an average of $500 (depending on budgeted cost), with the understanding that the purchased equipment will be delivered directly to the student during the grant period, but returned to the ACT repository at MIT in the fall.  Applications should provide precise equipment specifications, sources, and proof of availability, together with a statement of the work to be accomplished or the skill to be developed during the grant period. The names of two recommenders should be provided, with their email contact information. To submit applications, email TSI-admin@mit.edu.