Student Opportunities

Internships and other opportunities Heading link

  • Argonne National Laboratory internships: Visit the lab’s Graduate Programs or Undergraduate Programs pages for further information. There are multiple internship programs in different fields, and application requirements and dates may vary for each.
  • Capital One Launchpad: Legacy and Leadership Program: This program is offered in partnership with Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU). The program is open to rising sophomore and juniors in a business or technology major with a 3.0+ GPA,and  offers an opportunity to enhance professional skills, including critical thinking and project management, through collaborative team-based experiences. A stipend, travel, lodging, and meals are included. Program runs July 7 – July 11, and the application deadline is March 28.

     

Scholarships Heading link

Chris Jackson Computer Science Education Scholarship: This $5,000 scholarship is awarded to a new recipient every six months. Applicants will be required to discuss their interest in pursuing a computer science degree, their career aspirations, and why they think they should receive the award. Learn more, find out the next available application deadline, and submit your application here.

Illinois Student Assistance Commission: The iGROW Tech Scholarship program will be available starting the 2024-2025 academic year. It was developed to help recruit and train individuals to work in high-demand technology jobs. The iGROW Tech Scholarship is currently in the program development stage, so you can learn more and sign up to receive updates as they become available on the application process.

Why do hackathons? Heading link

participants in Google Tech Challenge

We strongly encourage UIC CS students to sign up for hackathon competitions. Here are some reasons why:

  • Meeting new people. Not just potential employers—who might watch a hackathon for potential new hires—but also fellow students.
  • Developing your résumé. Hackathons let you showcase the skills you’ve developed in class and build some new ones.
  • Enhancing your job interviews. Hackathons make you a more interesting interviewee. You can talk about how you approached a problem, the solutions you considered, and which skills you brought to the table.
  • Winning! (Of course.)
  • The Department of Energy’s Conquer the Hill Command competition will be held February 22, 2025. Command put’s competitor’s technical skills to the test in a task-based challenge that provides experience performing real-world tasks in IT administration and security. Learn more and register now.

 

UIC students have placed highly in these hackathon events:

Research Experiences for Undergraduates Heading link

student attending an REU at another university

Research experiences for undergraduates—called REUs for short—offer undergraduate students the opportunity to complete career-building research projects over the summer. REUs are competitive (with students chosen for the research positions by application) and often are held at universities other than your home institution. Most REUs are sponsored with funding from the National Science Foundation and typically come with a stipend that you can use to cover living expenses and other costs. Other REUs are offered by various government agencies and non-profits.

REUs make excellent résumé entries and offer valuable hands-on experience that you can talk about in job interviews. If you have your eye on a master’s degree or PhD after graduation, REUs provide a head start on building your research experience and could give you insight on what you might like to pursue in graduate school.

Think of REUs as a great way to get research experience while trying out living in a different place.

Computing for Heath and Well-being, University of Iowa. NSF funded program to solve short- and long-term challenges to the health care system. Along with mentored research, a bootcamp, and career development workshops, participants will receive a stipend, housing, and food. Program runs May 26-August 2, 2025. Applications should be submitted by March 15 for full consideration.

AI for Earth Summer School at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. Address environmental issues by applying machine learning and AI techniques to large data sets. The program runs from Jun 9 to  August 1; the first seven weeks will be virtual, and the last week will be in person. Participants will receive a stipend; plus housing, meals, and travel reimbursement for the in-person week. Application deadline March 21.

Cybersecurity of Smart Systems using Machine Learning, Tennessee Tech. NSF funded program to engage in R&D activities focused on cybersecurity solutions that leverage AI for smart systems. Participants will gain knowledge in various areas, including cryptography, deep learning, federated and reinforcement learning, graph-based anomaly detection, and hardware attack countermeasures. Participants will receive a stipend, housing, food allowance, and travel expenses. Applications accepted through April 5.