1. RESEARCH AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNDERGRADUATE SCIENCE STUDENTS Vivian Navas, PhD March 2012

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

4. WHY PARTICIPATE IN AN UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH INTERNSHIP ? Excellent experience!! Prepares you for graduate and professional school Exposes you to latest research and technology Helps you develop research and laboratory skills Improves your communication skills (English) Teaches you how to do scientific presentations Assists you in career decision

5. Familiarizes you with graduate students and mentors Offers you networking opportunities You could receive credits through COOP Practice-RUM http://www.practicacoopenbiologia.webs.co m/ Excellent social activities Many are completely paid for (housing, stipend and travel)

6. 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.4.87 Made me aware of global issues.4.59

7. GUIDELINES 1.Look for opportunities at: Internet/WEB Bulletin Boards MARC / Sloan Office

8. 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

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

10. 1. Look for opportunities. 2. Identify programs that interest you. 3. Enter the program site to assure you meet the criteria: – Carreer interest Potential PhD candidates MD / PhD Program Health related – GPA – Student academic status- year of study

11. GUIDELINES 4. Download the application 5. Apply to more than one institution 6. Make e-mail contact 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 transcripts

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

14. Summer Opportunities Listings

15. 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

16. Example of an Undergraduate Research Program Description

17. 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 This experience provides excellent preparation for students interested in subsequently pursuing a Ph.D. Eligibility Requirements Be current sophomores, juniors, or non-graduating seniors Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.2/4.0 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. Students receive a payment of $600/week plus housing and travel allowance.

18. GUIDELINES Criteria to considered if accepted to more than one opportunity: -Research area -Potential institution to pursue advance studies -Networking criteria

19. Student Program information

20. HEALTH- RELATED OPPORTUNITIES Summer Medical and Research Training Program- SMART Baylor College of Medicine Houston, Texas Summer Minority Medical Education Program – prepare students for the rigorosity of medical school (MMEP) Yale University School of Medicine, Biostep Biomedical Science Training and Enrichment Program for Minorities

21. 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_aca demy/undergrad_medicine.php https://medschool.mc.vanderbilt.edu/summer_aca demy/undergrad_medicine.php Travelers Summer Research Fellowship Program http://www.med.cornell.edu/education/programs/tra_s um_res.html http://www.med.cornell.edu/education/programs/tra_s um_res.html

22. Undergraduates Opportunities In RUM MARC for students interested in PhD or MD/PhD B-265 http://academic.uprm.edu/marc/index.php Problemas Especiales-Special Problems- RUM Research for academic credit throughout the semester at RUM (must contact faculty to ask availability)

23. Internships at Industries or companies NIH Merck- uncf.org/merck

24. Presenting Opportunities ASCB SACNAS Travel Awards

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

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