On the value of undergraduate research

A snippet from http://walterwendler.com/2012/12/our-universities-undergraduate-research/

In our forward-looking universities, good undergraduate students contribute to faculty insight every day. The best faculty members crave the chance to work with engaged undergraduates. They know the secret: In enlivened teaching, you always get more than you give. And that is good for everyone.

STEM Symposium at Emory University

Emory University STEM Research and Career SymposiumOpen to students interested in a PhD or MD/PhD, PREP, or Postdoctoral Fellow positions.

April 3-5, 2013
Emory Conference Center 

Convened and organized by Laney Graduate School, the symposium will bring faculty advisors and their students from diverse backgrounds to the Emory campus for two days of shared research presentations and for networking, mentoring, and recruitment. Participants will include outstanding undergraduates intending to pursue the PhD or MD/PhD degree and graduate students seeking postdoctoral opportunities. Faculty Advisors are also encouraged to attend and learn about the opportunities Emory offers. 

Eight students will be selected to give oral presentations and the other students will present their research in a poster session. There will be ample opportunity to visit with faculty and students of the participating programs, including over 25 training grant programs (see list to the right). Breakout sessions will cover topics relevant to students at this stage of their career and advisors of such students. 

Trainees from diverse backgrounds (to include ethnicity, race, economic status, disability, educational experience, first generation status, and in some cases, gender) are eligible to apply for diversity travel awards that will provide for travel and housing for the student and possibly her/his advisor.  See instructions below for eligibility.

For full details, see http://gs.emory.edu/about/special/stem_rc_symposium.html

Opportunities at the CDC in Atlanta, GA

12/19/2012 - CDC/ATSDR Summer Environmental Health Internships Application Period Now Open!
Do you know an undergraduate or graduate student with a passion for the environment and an interest in public health? Do you know a student who is looking for a summer internship at CDC/ATSDR? Do you know teachers or organizations that work with students interested in the environment?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, please take a moment to pass along this announcement for summer internships at the National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (NCEH/ATSDR).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (NCEH/ATSDR) offer paid 10-week summer internship programs for students who are passionate about the environment, interested in human health, and curious about how they are linked. During the course of the internship, students are introduced to environmental health at the federal level through collaborative projects, experiential learning opportunities, environmental health presentations, journal clubs, field trips, brown bag lunches, and mentoring relationships at NCEH/ATSDR.  Interns will be based at NCEH/ATSDR's Chamblee Campus.

For more information, please visit the program web sites:

Collegiate Leaders in Environmental Health (www.cdc.gov/nceh/cleh)
            -Open to all undergraduate students who are enrolled in school fulltime and will be a rising junior or rising senior by fall 2013.
            -Application deadline: January 30th, 2013
            -Contact: CLEH@cdc.gov

Summer Program in Environmental Health (www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/SUPEH)
            -Open to students who are enrolled fulltime in EHAC-accredited Environmental Health programs as a rising junior, senior, or graduate student.
            -Application deadline: February 15th, 2013
            -Contact: EHInternship@cdc.gov

Graduate Environmental Health program (www.cdc.gov/nceh/geh)
            -Open to graduate students who are currently enrolled in a degree granting program. Students graduating in Spring 2013 are eligible for this opportunity.
            -Application deadline: February 27th, 2013
            -Contact: GEH@cdc.gov

Announcement Point of Contact: CLEH@cdc.gov

Canopy with Wheelchairs and Tardigrades - summer research

NOT FOR THE TIMID: A UNIQUE UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY 

In the Canopy with Wheelchairs and Tardigrades is a National Science Foundation Research Opportunity June 1 – August 11, 2013 at Baker University, Baldwin City, Kansas, for undergraduates with or without ambulatory disabilities. It is a fast paced, tree climbing, data collecting, rapid analysis, and results-oriented internship. 

Students will be professionally trained to ascend into the canopy where they will define the taxonomy and distribution of tardigrades (water bears) and the herbivory of insects on a North American deciduous forest. It offers students of all abilities equal opportunity to conduct cutting edge ecological analysis in a world impacted by climate change. The project also includes data presentation, publication and networking with scientists, as well as a stipend, housing, and allowances for food and travel. 

To learn more and apply online before the Friday, March 1, 2013 deadline, visit www.bakeru.edu/canopy.

In case you've never heard of tardigrades, they. are. awesome.

CASE conference @ University of Florida

Deadline extended through January7, 2013

The University of Florida HHMI Science For Life Program, in collaboration with the College of Fine Arts, invite you to participate in the 2013 Creativity in the Arts and Sciences Event (CASE) to take place Saturday, January 26, 2013 at the Reitz Union Grand Ballroom and McGuire Pavilion. 

We are seeking undergraduate students from Emory University, Furman University, Louisiana State University, Morehouse College, and the University of Florida interested in displaying (1) scientific research posters; (2) original artwork, including 2D and 3D visual art or; (3) musical, dance and theatre performances. Participants may compete for the Science for Life Undergraduate Creativity Award within one of three categories; science poster, art, or collaboration project. This monetary award can be used to attend  scientific meetings, professional conferences, workshops, art exhibitions or similar opportunities, as well as to purchase lab or art supplies. When applying, you will be asked to describe how you intend to use your award and also whether you intend to compete for an award. 

The deadline for applications is December 3, 2012.  Due to space and time limitations, all arts and previous science students interested in participating should submit an application and will be notified if space is available. Your application will be reviewed by the CASE Committee within the field of the material submitted and you will be notified by December 10, 2012 as to your acceptance. Information on CASE and the application can be found at http://sfl.aa.ufl.edu/case.   

CASE Award amounts are as follows: 

SCIENCE CATEGORY PRIZE AMOUNT: Two first place prizes will be awarded in the amount of $1,250, two second place prizes in the amount of $750, and four third place prizes in the amount of $250 

ART CATEGORY PRIZE AMOUNT: Two first place prizes will be awarded in the amount of $1,250, two second place prizes in the amount of $750, and two third place prizes in the amount of $500 

COLLABORATION CATEGORY PRIZE AMOUNT: One first place prize will be awarded in the amount of $1,250, one second place prize in the amount of $750, and one third place prize in the amount of $500. 

Questions? Please read the guidelines at http://sfl.aa.ufl.edu/case or check out the FAQ to common questions. If the question is still not answered, science students are directed to contact Grace Burmester (graceb@ufl.edu) and art students are asked to contact Jennifer Hodges (jhodges@arts.ufl.edu).  

Penn State summer research

We are pleased to announce The Penn State College of Medicine Summer Undergraduate Research Internship Programs for 2013.  These programs bring undergraduates to our campus for a “summer-immersion” in biological research and an orientation to a career in biological sciences.  Any student that will not earn a  BS or BA by May 2013 is welcome to apply, although for the SURIP, the typical intern will be between their Sophomore and Senior year of undergraduate studies.  The SURIP would be most appropriate for students considering applying to PhD programs in the Biological/Biomedical Sciences and is not intended for students who will apply to medical school.  There is no clinical shadowing component to the internships.

Our goals are to provide a meaningful educational experience for undergraduates to prepare them for careers in cutting edge fields and to increase the pool of students considering graduate education in the life sciences. Participating faculty have a strong interest in mentoring young scholars as an integral part of their academic experience.  Each student accepted into these programs will be matched to one of these faculty mentors for a ten-week laboratory research experience.

Integral to our programs are twice weekly research/career seminars, a capstone presentation experience, and additional introductory experiences related to the professional culture of biological research.  Research interns will have the opportunity to live on our campus, and will receive a stipend to cover their living expenses during the summer.  The majority of our interns choose to live on campus and those that do so find living on campus a very positive experience.  In light of the fact that the budget for several of the programs does not permit us to cover the housing costs beyond the first month, we encourage you to make interested students aware of any small grant programs at your institution that might help interns offset the costs of on campus housing. 

For more information and an online application form you may access our website at http://www.pennstatehershey.org/web/summerresearch/home.  

APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS OPENS ON DECEMBER 12 and CLOSES AT 12 PM ON FEBRUARY 11, 2013.

UMBC posts list of summer programs

Thanks to UMBC for assembling a list of summer programs, with application deadlines!

Go to http://www.umbc.edu/undergrad_ed/research/opportunities/summer.html

and under the green SURF NIST application icon, click on the spreadsheet link to download an Excel spreadsheet.