Position: Undergraduate Internship (unpaid,
for credit) – Summer/Fall 2015
Title: Research Assistant
Duties: The intern’s primary responsibilities will be to
assist with a variety of community-based/outreach projects, as well as
substance abuse focused research projects. Students can participate in one or
more of the following projects depending on the amount of time committed. No
prior research experience is required.
Community-Based Projects/Outreach
·
Maryland Community Services Locator (MDCSL): Funded by the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and
Prevention, CESAR is working to develop and maintain its free online service
locator tool (www.mdcsl.org) that houses
information for almost 9,000 social service, health service and criminal
justice programs statewide.
·
CESAR FAX:
The weekly CESAR FAX publication provides a concise, one-page overview of a
timely substance abuse issue. Students can be involved with all aspects of
writing this publication.
Research Projects
·
Community Drug Early Warning System (CDEWS): With
funding from the Executive Office of the President, Office of National Drug
Control Policy (ONDCP), CESAR is conducting ongoing studies to assess trends in
offender drug use in the United States. Students can participate in data
collection, analysis and report preparation as part of this study.
·
National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS): Funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA),
the NDEWS project is an innovative public health surveillance system designed
to identify new drugs and drug trends as they emerge. The project will focus on
new drugs, such as synthetic cannabinoids (e.g., Spice/K2) and designer
stimulants (e.g., Molly), and changes in the use of more traditional drugs such
as heroin. Students may be involved with NDEWS in several ways, including
assisting with news scans, website updates, analysis of social media scans and data
collection and analysis.
·
Substance Abuse Prevention Needs Assessments and
Program Evaluations: The primary project
tasks include conducting local substance abuse prevention needs assessments and
program evaluations. These projects were implemented as a part of local
initiatives to prevent underage drinking, substance abuse, and risky sexual
behavior. Students can participate by assisting with data entry, checking and
analysis using Microsoft Access/Excel. Students can also assist with developing
data tables for report preparation.
·
The
Intersection of HIV Risk Behavior and Violent Victimization among Black Male
Victims of Violent Injury: This study
involves ethnographic interviews with African American males who have sustained
violent injury (gunshot wound, stabbing, or violent assault) to examine the
hypothesis that those who experience violent victimization may engage in
HIV risk behaviors. Students can participate by transcribing and coding ethnographic
qualitative interviews with African-American male victims of violent injury.
Qualifications:
No prior research experience is
required. This candidate must have strong attention to detail, as well as
excellent written and verbal communication skills. Preferred skills: interest
in substance abuse/health research, knowledge of Microsoft Excel and/or
Microsoft Access, experience working with community service providers.
Hours: 10 hours/week
minimum. Ability to commit a greater number of hours is a plus!
Preference will be given to
candidates that are interested in working with CESAR for more than one
semester.
Compensation:
This
is an unpaid internship open to undergraduate students only and may be used to earn
BSOS, HLTH, or CRIM internship credit (3 credits). These credits may be used to
fulfill elective credit requirements.
To Apply: Please submit by email a cover letter,
resume, unofficial transcript and writing sample to:
Amy Billing
Center
for Substance Abuse Research (CESAR)
University
of Maryland, College Park
301-405-9796
billing@umd.edu
Application
Deadline: Open
until filled. We encourage applicants to submit applications by COB Monday, 4/20/15.
