Watch REP students on research trips in Puerto Rico, Kenya and Peru.
Travel While Conducting Real-World Research
The Research Excursions Program is a type of third-year course that enables experiential learning outside of the classroom — and often outside of Canada. The REP provides off-campus travel opportunities, locally and globally, between May and August, when students join an instructor’s research team while earning 0.5 or 1.0 academic credits.
Benefits of the Research Excursions Program (REP)
By participating in an REP course, you will:
- Get a chance to travel, either locally or globally, with your peers and instructor
- Develop a close working relationship with your faculty supervisor, which could lead to future collaborations or reference letters for graduate school and job applications
- Learn research methods and further develop your research skills
- Get a unique perspective into research as you immerse yourself in a different location
- Have the chance to form lasting friendships with your group members
Who is Eligible to Participate?
REP courses are competitive and require an application. The course instructors select their REP students. Eligible students:
- Are full-time undergraduate degree students in the Faculty of Arts & Science — St. George campus
- Hold between 9.0-16.0 credits by the end of the April exam period
- Are new to the world of Faculty-funded international opportunities. Your chances of being accepted into REP courses are lower if you have previously received funds through REP, International & Indigenous Course Modules (IICMs) or the Dean’s International & Indigenous Initiatives Fund (DIIF)
Is There an Additional Cost?
REPs are subject to regular course tuition fees. There are no additional costs for travel and living expenses; these are paid by the Faculty of Arts & Science.
REP Courses
| Department | Professor | Research Project | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANT | Tamas Bence Viola | Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers at Grub Kranawetberg | Vienna and Stillfried an der March, Austria |
| ESS | Daniel Gregory | Investigating critical metal deposits of northern Quebec and Ontario | Cobalt Ontario, Val d'Or Quebec, Chibougamau Quebec, Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| ANT | Michael Chazan | Archaeological Fieldwork and Community Engagement in the Northern Cape, South Africa | Kathu and Kimberley, South Africa |
| EEB | Njal Rollinson | Early spring breeding of amphibians in Algonquin Provincial Park | Wildlife Research Station, Ontario, Canada |
| EEB | Njal Rollinson | Ecology and evolution of amphibians and reptiles in the Canadian wilderness | Wildlife Research Station, Ontario, Canada |
| CLA | Seth Bernard | Archaeological Excavations at Falerii Novi | Rome and Cività Castellana, Italy |
| EEB | D. Luke Mahler | The evolution of ecological diversity across neotropical lizard communities | Santo Domingo and 6 field locations, Dominican Republic |
| NEW | Aggrey Wasike | Language, Gender, and Economic Factors in Education in Bungoma County, Kenya | Nairobi, Misikhu and Siuna, Kenya |
| EEB | Benjamin Gilbert | Impacts of fragmentation and climate fluctuations on plant diversity | Koffler Scientific Reserve, Ontario, Canada |
| Department | Location | Professor | Research Project |
|---|---|---|---|
|
ANT |
Vienna & Stilfried, Austria |
Bence Viola |
Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers at Grub-Kranawetberg |
|
ANT |
Lima & Pacasmayo, Peru |
Edward Swenson |
Archaeology in Peru: A Comparison of Sacred Landscapes and Everyday Taskscapes in an Andean Urban Complex |
|
EEB |
Algonquin Park, Ontario |
Njal Rollinson |
Algonquin Park Amphibian Monitoring |
|
EEB |
Algonquin Park, Ontario |
Njal Rollinson |
Ecology and evolution of amphibians and reptiles in the Canadian wilderness |
|
EEB |
San Juan, Puerto Rico |
Luke Mahler |
The evolution of ecological diversity across neotropical lizard communities |
|
EEB |
Koffler Scientific Reserve, Ontario |
Arthur Weis |
Exploring the genomic basis of natural selection and speciation in insect-plant interactions. |
|
EEB |
Koffler Scientific Reserve, Ontario |
Benjamin Gilbert |
The direct and indirect effects of global changes on species diversity |
|
ESS |
Becancour, Quebec & Deep River, Ontario |
Carl-George Bank, Katherine Patton |
Environmental, archaeological, and forensic geophysics at field sites in Ontario and Quebec |
|
FAH |
Crete, Greece |
Carl Knappet |
Archaeological Excavation in Palaikastro, Crete |
|
NEW |
Nairobi, Kenya |
Aggrey Wasike |
Language, Education and Youth in Bungoma County |
Dates and Application Process
| Date | Activity |
|---|---|
|
February 10, 2023 |
Summer 2023 REP course applications open on CLNx. |
|
March 5, 2023 |
Summer 2023 REP course applications close on CLNx. |
|
March 6 – 26, 2023 |
Instructors review applications and select students. Eligible students will need to submit the REP contract to be enrolled in the course. |
|
March 27, 2023 |
Deadline for REP contracts to be submitted. |
|
Mid-April 2023 |
Students enrolled in REP course. |
|
Early May 2023 |
All enrolled Summer 2023 REP students are placed on CLNx. |
|
May – August, 2023 |
Students complete REP course (exact travel dates and relevant Safety Abroad requirement deadlines may vary depending on REP project). |
|
September 2023 (Date TBD) |
REP students participate in Fall Research Fair. |
To do in the Fall term:
- September – December: Gather information as you review REP deadlines, talk with professors, classmates and REP alumni
- If you are interested in an REP with a particular course, encourage the faculty member to submit an REP proposal
- Sharpen your interview skills! Review these tips from Student Life and Interview Ready modules from UTSC
To do in the Winter term:
- February: Review list of REP proposals posted on the CLNx portal
- Apply by deadline
- Investigate immunizations and travel document requirements for destination country
- March: Attend bi-annual Research Fair
- Attend interviews and/or respond to faculty member’s emailed questions
- If you secure an offer, accept/decline by deadline
- Sign REP contract by deadline
- April: If the REP involves international travel, complete Safety Abroad pre-departure training module and paperwork, as required by the University
- September: Participate in bi-annual Research Fair
You will need to do the following before your REP:
- Submit an application package (resume/CV, letter of intent, unofficial transcript) by the deadline. See this CLNx application process video for insight into the process
- Follow the faculty supervisor’s selection process (online/in-person/telephone interviews, respond to questions over email, etc.)
- Sign an REP contract
- Complete Safety Abroad requirements for international destinations
- Complete required immunizations and travel documents if the REP involves international travel
For Summer 2023 REPs, students can apply from February 10 to March 5, 2023. Applications include three documents: resume/CV, a letter of intent and an unofficial transcript. For those interested to learn about the Summer 2023 application process, please view the CLNx application process video. On March 6, 2023, all applications will be sent to the faculty supervisor.
After student applications are sent to the faculty supervisors, they make their selections in accordance with the relevant deadlines (see Summer 2023 Program Dates and Timeline for details). Some faculty supervisors will conduct interviews, while other may reach out to candidates by phone or email. Only students who are being considered or are selected for an REP course will be contacted by the relevant faculty supervisor. Selected students are required to sign an agreement (REP contract) with their supervising professor to participate in an REP course and will be enrolled into the course by the Office of the Dean prior to the start of the relevant term. All internationally-bound students must complete Safety Abroad requirements to participate in the REP course.
For more information about the Research Excursions Program, please email experiential.artsci@utoronto.ca.
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