Two undergraduate students from UT Dallas have been selected by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) for rigorous and highly competitive summer research positions at Irish universities. 

The 11-week-long internships were created to support undergraduate studies in areas such as science, math and engineering. They are administered through SFI’s Undergraduate Research Experience and Knowledge Award, or UREKA, and they are an all-expense-paid experience — including airfare, housing and a living allowance.

The two UT Dallas students are Poornima Hanumara and Steven Horne.

Hanumara, 19, is a member of Collegium V, the UT Dallas honors program.  The senior telecom engineering major from Delhi, India, will conduct research at University College Dublin will join 22 students from Ireland, England, Europe and Asia.

Horne, 21, a McDermott Scholar and physics major from Colorado Springs, Colo., will be a senior this fall and has been involved in Habitat for Humanity, the Math Club and intramural sports.  He will attend Tyndall National Institute in Cork with 13 other students from across the globe who were selected for the internship.

UREKA projects feature interaction between students and faculty or other research mentors, as well as access to research facilities and professional development opportunities. 

For their internships, the students will be assigned a task related to the research focus of the entire group.  They will be introduced to the methods, equipment and software that scientists use in their fields of study.  The students will then apply that knowledge to their own assignments and produce written reports of their results at the end of the 11 weeks.  They will also make an oral presentation to other students participating in the internship.

A number of events are organized for the students throughout the summer, including tours of companies and universities and social outings. 

Austin Cunningham, UT Dallas’ dean of graduate studies, nominated Hanumara and Horne for their internships. He identified the program during a recent visit to Cork and said UT Dallas has exchange programs with a number of Irish universities and research institutes.


Media contacts: Jenni Huffenberger, UT Dallas, (972) 883-4431, jennib@utdallas.edu
and the Office of Media Relations, UT Dallas, (972) 883-2155, newscenter@utdallas.edu