Welcome to the 2026 Summer program.

Welcome to the program! We are thrilled to have you all participate in an undergraduate research project this summer, and hope that it is a rewarding and educational experience. Summer 2026 program dates are June 1, 2026 through August 7, 2026. All events are open to all undergraduate researchers in Cornell Bowers CIS, whether or not your research is funded through BURE. If you would like to be part of these activities, please email us.
 

%20bure [at] cornell.edu (Contact the BURE Team)

 

 

Primary Staff Contacts:

  • rad336 [at] cornell.edu (Rebecca Dillon) (Program Manager)

  • kellis [at] cornell.edu (Kevin Ellis) (Faculty Organizer)
     

Graduate Student Contacts:

  • TBD

Program Details

There will be flex space in Rhodes 117, which can be accessed by all Cornell Bowers students with a card swipe. Please keep in mind:

  • These desks cannot be reserved. Please do not leave anything in the room.

  • This space is a quiet working environment. Please use other spaces on campus for Zoom calls, research conversations, and social activities.

  • Please help us keep this space clean!

If your mentor is in the CS department, please discuss with them the option of hoteling in potentially available lab space in Gates. 

We are organizing all BURE events to be in-person in Ithaca. We plan to make most events virtually accessible to students at Cornell Tech.

The main activity in BURE is research supervised by your mentor. We also have the following expectations for all BURE students:

  • Not take other jobs concurrently. BURE is a full-time commitment.

  • Attend the regular BURE events. These activities supplement your research experience with time to learn general research skills, and discuss with other students.

  • Participate in the symposium at the end of the summer. This will involve presenting a poster and/or giving a talk.

  • Fill out an end of the summer survey.

Research Practices and Academic Culture Seminar
During the first week of the program from 10:30am-12pm in Gates G114, we will have a seminar on research practices and academic culture. This will be a classroom-style activity, with plenty of time for interactive discussions. We will be adapting the excellent course materials from Harvard's class for first-year graduate students (CS 290), developed by Yaniv Yacoby and others; course materials can be found here. Recordings of these seminars can be found here (you must login to Box with Cornell credentials).
 

  Date

  Topic

  Facilitator       

  June 1         

  Communication in Collaborative Environments   

  TBD

  June 2

  Mental Health in Research

  TBD

  June 3

  How to Skim a Research Paper

  TBD 

  June 4

  How to Do a Literature Search

  TBD

  June 5

  PhD Life and Grad School Applications

  TBD

 

Summer Talk Series
Every Wednesday from 1:00-2:00 PM in Gates G114, a faculty member will give a research-related talk. 

 

   Date

  Title

   Speaker

  June 3

  TBD                                                                   

   TBD.               

  June 10

  TBD  

   TBD  

  June 17        

  TBD  

   TBD  

  June 24

  TBD  

   TBD  

  July 8

  NO TALK      

   NO TALK      

  July 15

  TBD 

   TBD  

  July 22

  TBD  

   TBD  

  July 29

  TBD

   TBD 

  August 6  TBD   TBD

 

Summer Research Symposium
To wrap up the summer, we'll hold a BURE Symposium, scheduled for August 7, 2026 from 3-5 PM in Gates G01 and the First Floor Atrium. Ithaca-based students will participate in a poster presentation and our NYC-based students will share pre-recorded talks. Recordings of the NYC-based students can be found here (you must login to Box with Cornell credentials)

 

All BURE participants are expected to abide by Cornell's Student Code and Research Integrity policies. In addition, we expect everyone to follow a basic principle at all events and related activities, whether digital or in person: be nice and treat each other with respect. For instance, we do not tolerate:

  • Behavior that is disruptive, disrespectful, or degrading to others, whether through messages, images, or personal interactions.

  • Harassment or discrimination based on age, ancestry, color, gender identity or expression, national origin, physical or mental disability, religion, sexual orientation, or other protected characteristics.

We encourage everyone to help create a welcoming and safe environment. If you see or experience any concerning behavior, please let us know.

BURE is supported by the Cornell CS department, Cornell Bowers, various faculty grants, and generous gifts from anonymous donors.