RESEARCH AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNDERGRADUATE SCIENCE STUDENTS Vivian Navas, Ph.D September 2013

This presentation available at http://biology.uprm.edu/internados.html Página del Departamento de Biología Internados

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH PROGRAM? WHY PARTICIPATE IN AN UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH PROGRAM? Excellent experience! Prepares you for graduate and professional school Exposes you to modern research and technology Helps you develop research and laboratory skills Improves your english communication skills Enhances your writing and scientific presentation skills Assists you in career decision Networking opportunities with graduate students and scientists

You could receive credits through COOP Practice-RUM http://www.practicacoopenbiologia.webs.com/ Excellent social activities Many are completely or partially paid for (housing, stipend and/or travel)

My enrichment experience… Average Internship Experience Student Assessment 5- Strongly Agree, 4- Agree, 3- Neutral, 2- Disagree, 1- Strongly Disagree 39 students My enrichment experience… Average Developed a greater awareness of the opportunities available to me in my field. 4.79 Strengthened my communication skills. 4.87 Strengthened my teamwork skills. 4.67 Increased my desire to become a researcher in my field. 4.38 Provided me with the opportunities to gain new knowledge and technical skills in my field. 4.92 Developed or increased my leadership skills. 4.69 Provided me with the opportunities to apply my knowledge and skills to new situations / problems. 4.77 Introduced me to a mentor who cared about me and spent time explaining the project and my responsabilities. 4.85 Developed my research skills. Made me aware of global issues. 4.59

GUIDELINES Look for opportunities at: Internet/WEB Bulletin Boards MARC / Sloan Office

May add area of interest Summer minority internship neuroscience Clue Words for searching the web: Summer undergraduate minority research program Summer undergraduate internship minority Minority summer undergraduate internship May add area of interest Summer minority internship neuroscience May search by institution of interest

Opportunities available in all fields Ecology MD/PhD Biomedical Marine Sciences Nanotechnology ETC…..

1. Look for opportunities. 2. Identify programs that interest you. 3. Enter the program Homepage to make sure you meet the criteria: Career interest Potential PhD candidates MD / PhD Program Health related GPA academic standing (year of study)

5. Apply to more than one institution GUIDELINES 4. Download the application 5. Apply to more than one institution 6. Contact through email if have questions 7. Request letters of recomendation from faculty (with time!). Prepare a resume or summary (with GPA, course and grade, hobbies, associations, jobs, volunteer work etc.) 8. Request official transcripts (send student copy)

PLAN COOP- Can apply for credit and grade (maximun allowable 6 credits): information and forms at http://www.practicacoopenbiologia.webs.com/ See page for requirements COOP coordinator Dr. Carlos Muñoz

Summer Opportunities Listings

Listings http://www.columbia.edu/cu/biology/ug/intern.html http://www.cic.net/Home/Students/SROP/Home.aspx http://people.rit.edu/gtfsbi/ http://www.neagep.org/ http://theleadershipalliance.org/tabid/242

Example of an Undergraduate Research Program Description

Caltech’s MURF program Caltech’s MURF program provides support for talented undergraduates to spend a summer working in a research laboratory on the Caltech campus. The MURF program aims to increase the participation of underrepresented students (such as African American, Hispanic, and Native American, females who are underrepresented in their discipline, and first-generation college students) in science and engineering Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. programs. Eligibility Requirements Be current sophomores, juniors, or non-graduating seniors Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.2/4.0 Be a US citizen or Permanent Resident Have an interest in pursuing a Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. Program Elements Students carry out individual research projects under the mentorship of Caltech faculty or JPL technical staff over a ten-week summer period. MURF students may work on a day-to-day basis with a graduate student or postdoctoral scholar co-mentor. Compensation MURF students receive payments of $600/week. Payments will be distributed in equal installments three times over the summer.

GUIDELINES Criteria to considered if accepted to more than one opportunity: Research project Potential institution to pursue advance studies Networking criteria

Student Program information

HEALTH- RELATED OPPORTUNITIES Summer Medical and Research Training Program- SMART Baylor College of Medicine Houston, Texas http://www.bcm.edu/smart/ Biostep Biomedical Science Training and Enrichment Program for Minorities Yale BioSTEP (Biomedical Science Training and Enrichment Program) provides intensive, short-term summer research training for undergraduates, especially students from groups underrepresented in biomedical sciences at research-intensive universities.  

Summer medical and dental educational program) Summer medical and dental educational program). SMDEP is a six-week summer medical and dental school preparatory program. Applicant must be currently enrolled as a freshman or sophomore in college; GPA of 3.0, with 2.75 in the sciences. www.smdep.org https://medschool.mc.vanderbilt.edu/summer_academy/undergrad_medicine.php Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D) Tri-institutional MD-PhD Program in New York Cityhttp://weill.cornell.edu/mdphd/summerprogram/ Travelers Summer Research Fellowship Program http://www.med.cornell.edu/education/programs/tra_sum_res.html

Undergraduates Opportunities In RUM MARC for students interested in PhD or MD/PhD B-265 http://academic.uprm.edu/marc/index.php

Special problems Research throughout the semester at RUM BIOL 4901-4902. SPECIAL PROBLEMS IN BIOLOGY. BOTA 4995-4996. SPECIAL PROBLEMS IN BOTANY. Research throughout the semester at RUM One to three credit hours per semester. Prerequisite: twelve credits in Biology Needs faculty mentor approval (must contact faculty for availability)

Internships at Industries or companies NIH Merck

Presenting Opportunities ASCB SACNAS Travel Awards

Dr. Vivian Navas University of Puerto Rico – Mayagüez Campus Biology Department Office B-106 E-mail: vivian.navas@upr.edu

This presentation available at http://biology.uprm.edu/internados.html