I-SEER

ISU’s Department of Geosciences offers graduate degrees in Geology (MS), Geosciences (PhD), and Geographic Information Systems (MS) that integrate field-based science with cutting-edge quantitative tools and laboratory facilities. We leverage our location in the spectacular northern Rocky Mountains and have a strong record of student placement in government, industry, and education.

Faculty expertise covers a wide range of fields, with particular strengths in tectonics, structural geology, geo- and thermochronology, sedimentology and stratigraphy, paleobiology, geomorphology, Quaternary global change, soil science, watershed hydrology, and volcanology. 

Geosciences faculty regularly offer a wide selection of graduate-level courses, including >20 courses in the fields of structural geology, tectonics, geo- and thermochronology, sedimentology, volcanology, economic geology, hydrogeology, geospatial analysis, computer programming, geochemistry, and environmental science. Each semester, we also offer a one-credit Field Seminar course, which is a 5-7 day department field trip for both graduate and undergraduate students. 

Geosciences has an outstanding collegial environment for students and faculty, which we cultivate through regular departmental events including a weekly speaker series, fall and spring picnics, and a range of activities run by the student-led GeoClub. Our GeoClub won the Geological Society of America’s national Geology Club Tee-Off in 2204 and the ISU-wide “Benny Awards” for 2023 Student Organization of the Year and 2021 the 2021 Outstanding Event of the Year.

Find out more about this opportunity through ISU Geosciences’ ETAP site. Additional information about Geosciences’ graduate programs and research facilities can be found here.

ISU’s Department of Biological Sciences offers MS, PhD, and Doctorate of the Arts degrees in both Biology and Microbiology. We seek to develop a diverse pool of scientists who use interdisciplinary approaches to address the nation’s biological research agenda in their respective fields. To facilitate graduate student research, resources are available including molecular, imaging, and animal care facilities, greenhouses, two nearby field stations, and funded undergraduate project assistants. Recent Department graduates have obtained positions as university faculty or other academic positions, in biotech and other industries, and with governmental agencies.

Faculty expertise cover a wide range of fields, with particular strengths in biological education, natural history, integrative organismal biology, ecology, conservation biology, biochemistry, microbiology, neuroscience, and biomedical sciences.

Faculty regularly offer a wide selection of graduate-level courses including course work in major conceptual frameworks (ecology, evolution, physiology, environmental science), system specific disciplines (botany, microbiology, vertebrate and human biology), statistical analysis (biometry, R, bioinformatics), and biological pedagogy. Graduate students also have the opportunity to join several Vertically Integrated Project courses, where students and faculty work together to pursue novel research projects as a team. 

The success of graduate students is critical to the success of the Biological Sciences Department, with graduate students playing an important role in research productivity. All graduate students in the Department are members of the Biology Graduate Student Association, which supports community and belonging, and seeks to build students’ professional networks through social events and opportunities for professional development. 

Find out more about this opportunity through ISU Biological Sciences’ ETAP site. Additional information about the Biological Sciences graduate programs can be found here.

In Idaho, increasing water demands, water scarcity, population growth, and changes in energy use and delivery, all impact our communities and their resilience. Idaho State University plays a leading role in Idaho’s Community-engaged Resilience for Energy-Water Systems (I-CREWS), a statewide NSF EPSCoR Track-1 multi-disciplinary project that brings together scientists, engineers, and communities, including tribal communities, to address the challenges of water and energy use in a rapidly changing environment. NSF Honorable Mention Fellows who are awarded an OIA Fellowship may pursue graduate degrees in departments such as Civil and Environmental Engineering, Computer Science, Anthropology, Biological Sciences, or Geosciences. 

Research will align with I-CREWS’ focus on understanding how meteorological influences, population growth, and new technologies affect the intertwined energy-water systems that sustain Idaho’s communities. Research opportunities span a wide range of topics including computational modeling and simulation, data collection and analysis, artificial intelligence (AI), environmental governance, engineering design, and community-based social science. Specific research projects and associated faculty can be found here. Fellows will receive training in collaborative and ethical research practices, including work with Idaho’s Tribal Nations and rural communities. The overarching goal is to develop a new generation of researchers prepared to solve pressing scientific and social challenges and to work effectively with community and industry partners. OIA Fellows will benefit from the interdisciplinary I-CREWS network of faculty and peers across Idaho’s universities, access to high-performance computing and research facilities, and opportunities for collaboration with the Idaho National Laboratory and state agencies. Students develop skills to address real-world challenges in water and energy resilience, preparing them for careers in academia, government, and industry.

Find out more about this opportunity through ISU OIA I-CREWS ETAP site. Additional information about Civil and Environmental Engineering’s graduate programs and research facilities can be found here. Additional information about the Anthropology Department can be found here. Additional information about the Computer Science Department can be found here.