Biomolecular science research internship at UNC-Chapel Hill

For the past two summers Ashland University toxicology majors have conducted research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as part of that University's NSF-funded undergraduate research program.  This past summer Daphne Guinn '11 took part in the program, and Phillip Wages '10 was accepted the summer before.  The review of applications for this year's program will begin in early February.

Students in this 10-week program will perform research under the mentorship of faculty and graduate students, present their work at a research seminar, attend workshops on careers in science, and will be exposed to the diversity of research done at UNC.  Our past students have also enjoyed life in Chapel Hill, the chance to visit other areas in the North Carolina Research Triangle and forays to the Atlantic coast.  The program provides a $4,500 stipend, travel funds and free room and board.  This is an excellent opportunity for current Sophomores and Juniors.

Summer Nanotechnology Research Internships

The National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network offers a unique summer research program hosted at 14 different universities covering applications of nanotechnology in chemistry, biology, physics and engineering.  Some features of this opportunity include:

• One application for research programs at 14 different universities
• For sophomores and juniors with interest in science careers
• A joint research meeting at the end of the summer for students from all participating universities
• Some participants will have the opportunity to perform a 2nd summer of research at universities in Asia and Europe
• $4,000 stipend, free housing and travel expenses for this 10-week program

Online applications are due February 9th.

Summer Research Opportunities

Here are a couple of summer research opportunities worth checking out:

The Center for Nanoscale Systems (CNS) will offer its ninth Research Experience for Undergraduates Summer Program at Cornell University.

The application deadline is February 9, 2011 and students will be notified about their application by March 3, 2011. For general information such as REU research topics and program organization, visit the CNS website or contact the CNS REU Coordinator Professor Michal Lipson ml292@cornell.edu

The University of South Alabama hosts a NSF-REU site to work on various projects in the area of "Protein Structure and Function". In order to apply, students must have completed organic chemistry, have a GPA of 3.0, and be interested in basic research.

The summer program lasts 10 wks (from May 23 to July 29).

Participating students receive a stipend of $500/week, housing and up to $300 to cover travel expenses. The application deadline is February 25, 2011. For more information: http://www.southalabama.edu/alliedhealth/biomedical/ucur/index.htm

Toxicology major wins national award from Pfizer

Toxicology major Phillip Wages

Phillip Wages, a senior toxicology major at Ashland University, has just received one of only five national student travel awards from the pharmaceutical company Pfizer to present his research on the toxic effects of pesticides and herbicides at the 2011 meeting of the Society of Toxicology in Washington D.C.

The Pfizer Undergraduate Student Travel Award will provide funding for Phillip's travel, housing and registration at the meeting, and provides the opportunity to interact with Pfizer scientists at an award ceremony.  Phillip will also be paired with a Pfizer scientist as a mentor during the meeting.

Phillip has been involved in multiple undergraduate research projects while a toxicology major at Ashland University, including a National Science Foundation-funded summer research internship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and National Institutes of Health-funded research on zebrafish development at Ashland University.  At the SOT meeting Phillip will be presenting data from his honors thesis work using larval zebrafish to test the toxicity of common pesticides and herbicides.  Phillip designed this project to take advantage of the zebrafish as a new model system for toxicological studies.  After graduating this Spring Phillip plans to pursue a PhD in Toxicology.

Summer research internship in bioenergy

The University of Nebraska in Lincoln has a new NSF funded research program in bioenergy, the use of biological material such as algae to produce energy.  The program provides a $4,635 stipend for students to conduct research from June 6th to August 10th in a number of research areas, including:

. . . the study of non-food crops for biomass production, metabolic engineering of oilseed biosynthesis, green algae as liquid biofuel production systems, microbial carbon sequestration, biochemical pathways of lignocellulose conversion, and system engineering of microorganisms for biomass conversion.

Applications can be submitted as early as December 8th, with a final deadline of March 1st.  You can find more information here.  This is a great opportunity to develop research skills, as well as learn about a growing area in biotechnology.

Doctoral program in computational biology

Are you interested in integrating math and computer sciences with the study of biology, chemistry or neuroscience?  Then check out the Computational Biology Doctoral Program at New York University.  This program provides research training in bioinformatics/genomics, biomolecular modeling, and computational neurobiology and physiology that prepares students for careers in academia and private industry.

Along with your doctoral research and coursework there are opportunities for research internships.  All students accepted into this program are guaranteed a stipend and free tuition for five years.

Contact the program's director Dr. Michael Shelley at NYU for more information, or go to their webpage.  Deadline dates for application vary depending on the specific department you apply to, but most are in mid-December for the Fall 2011 semester.

Summer 2011 Research Opportunities

The Department of Energy Scholars Program offers summer internships with stipends of up to $650 per week depending on academic status to undergraduates, graduate students and post graduates at accredited institutes of higher education. Majors accepted include: engineering; physical sciences; environmental sciences; computer science and information technology; physics; program management; math; statistics; safety and health; accounting and finance; law; and other related discipline areas. The deadline for applications is Jan 31, 2011.

Requirements include: U.S. Citizenship; 18 years of age or older; and a cumulative GPA of 2.90/4.00. For more information: http://orise.orau.gov/doescholars