Research Excursions Program

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
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.

REP in the News