UTPA REU application for Summer 2010 now live

The UTPA REU application form is now available here. Some of the form material still needs to be updated, notably the application deadline! It's 3 May 2010. Currently, we are planning on recruiting one student for this summer.

Kawaii is, perhaps, not the impression you want to make

More tips for applying to programs from Bug Girl’s Blog. Includes this classic piece of advice:

Do not print your cover letter for an NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates on Hello Kitty paper.

Seriously.

Had it not also come with transcripts attached, I’d think some of you were just messing with me.

Woods Hole REU

The institution: Marine Biological Laboratory

The program: Each undergraduate student will be placed in the laboratory of an MBL research scientist and fully participate in all laboratory exercises and activities. The program will provide a stipend of approximately $4,000 to each student, and room and board for 10 weeks. The program will run from 13 June through 21 August 2010.

Eligibility: Highly motivated rising sophomore and junior students.

Application deadline: 1 April 2010

More information: http://www.mbl.edu/education/courses/other_programs/reu.html

Bioenergy REU

The institution: South Dakota State University

The program: This new interdisciplinary REU site will allow 10 undergraduate students in plant science, chemistry, biology or engineering to learn research skills and to participate in unique research experiences related to biofuels and bioenergy crops. The research projects are divided into three areas: feedstock development, environmental sustainability, and bioprocessing.

• 31 May 31 - 6 August 2010
• $460/week, paid on-campus housing, food allowance, travel expenses

Eligibility:

• US citizenship or permanent resident
• Declared major related to the project of interest
• Sophomore year completed by 31 May 2010
• Interest in research in an multidisciplinary environment.

Application deadline: 15 April 2010

More information: Visit http://biomicro.sdstate.edu/reu_bioenergy or email Dr. Heike Bucking

One slot!

There will be one slot available for a student to join the UTPA REU program this summer.

The application deadline is to be announced, but will probably be around mid- April. Questions can be emailed to Zen Faulkes in the meantime.

Dengue infection research

The institution: The University of Texas-Pan American

The program: Dengue infection rates along the U.S./Mexico border are drastically (many orders of magnitude) lower on the American side, and Dr. Chris Vitek will be looking into possible reasons. Dr. Vitek will be hiring two students this summer.

The summer employment will consist of collecting field specimens, identifying locations of high mosquito activity (the specific vectors of Dengue), lab work to identify mosquitoes, and conducting surveys to assess local exposure to the disease vectors.

• $1,500 pay.
• 20 hours of work per week.
• Travel to Louisiana State University for 3 to 5 days this summer.

Eligibility:

• Students must be a current UTPA student, but they do not have to be registered for the summer.
• Students must have access to a vehicle and a valid driver’s license.
• Previous research experience, collecting experience, or entomology experience (or class work) is not required but beneficial.

Application deadline: Until filled

More information: Email vitekc@utpa.edu

Purdue SURF 2010

The institution: Purdue University

The program:

• 24 May — 6 August 2010
• Hands-on research experience for undergraduates
• Faculty & graduate student mentorship
• Research & professional development seminars
• $3600 + travel + housing
• Graduate school preparation
• Social activities with other researchers

More information: http://www.purdue.edu/surf

Subject! Verb! Object!

Here’s a quick pair of suggestions on how not to get your application taken out of the pile.

Finding a research opportunity on your own campus

I’ve been finding a lot of students have no idea how to go about finding out about research opportunities. So, here’s one for you students.

Clear out some time. If a prof’s door is open, knock and ask if you can come in. If you’re too intimidated by dropping in, email and ask for an appointment. Once you get in the office, ask this magic question:

“Could you tell me a bit about your research?”

Be ready for a loooooong conversation. Because the truth is, not very many people ask about our research, so to have anyone showing any sort of interest is something we enjoy. Heck, very often even our own colleagues don’t ask what we’re working on most of the time.

That conversation can totally change the tone of your dialogue with your professor – in a good way – for a long time. Think about it. Which conversation do you think a professor would rather have?

“Can you tell me about your research?”

versus some variation of:

“Can you sign this form?”
“Can you calculate my best possible grade for your class?”
“Can I take a make-up exam?”

Which conversation do you think a prof would rather have? And which conversation do you think a prof has more often?

Cancer Prevention Education: Student Research Experiences

The institution: The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas

The program: The “Cancer Prevention Education: Student Research Experiences” program is designed to encourage undergraduate students to pursue research careers by exposing them to mentored hands-on research experiences early in their academic career. Students will work in a research environment with extensive epidemiologic, laboratory and clinical facilities under the supervision of an established investigator on the faculty of M. D. Anderson, as well as attend seminars and lectures. Students are immersed in the type of cross-disciplinary research environment typical of cancer prevention and control research, with opportunities for studying epidemiology (including molecular and genetic epidemiology), behavioral science, clinical cancer prevention, health disparities and other prevention-related disciplines. Based on their interests, successful applicants will be paired with an appropriate faculty mentor for the duration of the research experience. Students will be expected to devote full-time effort to this research experience.

A total of eight students will be selected to participate in the 12-week program. While most students will participate during the summer, opportunities for these research experiences may be available at other times during the year.

Participants in the program receive a stipend of up to $2,166 per month for the three-month period.

Eligibility: Students must have either (a) completed their sophomore or junior year and be enrolled in an undergraduate degree program classified as a junior or senior by September 2010, or (b) completed their undergraduate degree (no earlier than December 2009) and be accepted to start a graduate program by September 2010. Students must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the United States. Applicants with visas are not eligible. Students who are members of groups historically underrepresented in the sciences (African-American, Hispanic, American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander) as well as those who are the first in their family of origin to attend college are especially encouraged to apply. The Advisory Committee selects students based on the applicant’s record of scholastic achievement, aptitude for science and interest in cancer prevention.

Deadline: 3 March 2010

More information: http://www.cancerpreventiontraining.org

Post-baccalaureate Research and Education Program (PREP)

The institution: University of New Mexico

The program: We are seeking recent (or May 2010) graduates in biochemistry, biology, chemical and nuclear engineering, chemistry, computer Science, physics, psychology, and related fields. The program is an intensive one-year paid program. In addition to lab research, scholars will:

• Prepare and take the GRE
• Seek and apply to Biomedical graduate programs
• Attend professional meetings
• Enroll in a Research Ethics course
• Present research
• Attend weekly meetings
• Attend seminars

Eligibility:

• U.S. citizen or permanent resident
• 3.0 GPA
• Be a member of an under-represented group in biomedical research
• Received Bachelor’s degree within the 36 months before start of program
• Be committed to pursuing a Ph.D. in a biomedical research field
• Demonstrated need to complete an additional year of training before applying to graduate school

Application deadline: No official deadline, but 12 March 2010 is encouraged.

More information: Patty Banuelos at prep@unm.edu, or visit http://biology.unm.edu/prep

Pollination Biology REU

The institution: Oregon State University

The program:

• 10 week program
• $4,500 stipend
• Students rotate between a dryland prairie in northeast Oregon, a forest ecosystem in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, and agricultural landscapes in western Oregon

Requirements: Outstanding students in biological science-related majors who are currently in their sophomore or junior year of undergraduate study are eligible. NSF requires that participants are U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. and its territories.

Application deadline: 15 March 2010

More information: http://cropandsoil.oregonstate.edu/REU

Neuroscience internships

For those interested in brains, check out this list of undergraduate internships.

Field Experiences in South Texas Coastal Dynamics

The institution: University of Texas Marine Science Institute

The program: Each student will work with a faculty mentor on topics such as:
biogeochemistry; watershed processes; estuarine ecology; food web relationships; zooplankton ecology; fish reproductive physiology.

• 2 June – 11 August 2010
• $4,500 stipend
• Full room and board
• Research allowance
• Travel allowance

Eligibility:

Deadline: 16 February 2010

More information: http://reu.utmsi.utexas.edu

Caltech Amgen Scholars program

The institution: California Institute of Technology

The program: Caltech's Amgen Scholars Program is geared towards students in biology,chemistry, and biotechnology fields. Some of these fields include biology, biochemistry, bioengineering, chemical and biomolecular engineering, and chemistry.

• $5,500 award
• Round-trip airfare 
• Housing and food allowances

Eligibility:

• Sophomores through non-graduating seniors
• Attending a four-year university
• U.S. citizen or permanent resident. 
• Minimum GPA of 3.2.

Application deadline: 16 February 2010.

More information: http://www.amgenscholars.caltech.edu

Remember, spelling counts!

From Bug_Girl, who scores points for writing, “Egad.”

Louisiana State University undergrad summer research

The institution: Louisiana State University

The program:

• $3,500 stipend and program housing
• 31 May – 30 July 2010
• University credit

Application deadline: 10 February 2010

More information: Email Sheri Wischusen at hhmi@lsu.edu or visit http://www.biology.lsu.edu/hhmiprog/undergrad/

Applying the right way

A job opening at the Gamasutra website generated a rant from one of the poor souls having to read job applications. For instance:

(P)lease make it seem like you care who we are, you have done the most basic research(.) Like, make the application to US, not some generic blurb you have sent out 100 times already.

There is a lot of rock solid advice there that you should think about when applying to research programs!

MHIRT program at Christian Brothers University

The institution: Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tennessee

The program:

• Research sites in Brazil, Uganda, and Thailand
• 10 weeks
• All travel, room and board, preparation, and workshops expenses paid
• Stipend

Eligibility: U.S. citizen or permanent resident.

Deadline: 29 January 2010.

More information: http://www.cbu.edu/mhirt

QEM / NSF summer internship

The institution: Quality Education for Minorities (QEM) Network and National Science Foundation

The program:

• Placements in Washington, DC area
• 1 June - 6 August 2010
• $3,000 stipend for undergraduates
• Round-trip airfare
• Assistance with local transportation costs
• Summer housing on a local college campus

Eligibility:

• U.S. citizen
• Junior or senior undergraduate, or graduate student
• Currently enrolled in a science or engineering degree program

Deadline: 12 February 2010.

More information: Visit http://qemnetwork.qem.org/internship.htm.