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Overview
Our Summer Undergraduate Research Internship Program is designed for
College students who are interested in pursing a career in the biological
sciences. If you are serious about exploring biological sciences and
would like to conduct research this summer with a scientist at the Penn State
College of Medicine, we invite you to browse this website and learn more about
our program. We will begin accepting applications for the Summer 2008 program on November 13. The application deadline for the Summer 2008 program is
February 15.
The program is intended for college students who have completed their
Sophomore or Junior year and it runs for 10 weeks.
Details of the
SURIP 2004,
SURIP 2005,
SURIP 2006 and
SURIP 2007 programs can be found
elsewhere on this site.
The SURIP Program
During the 2008 program period, students will work directly with a
faculty mentor on a research project of their design. Students will also
take part in all activities in the faculty mentor's laboratory, including
attending laboratory research meetings, journal clubs and seminars. In
addition, on a weekly basis, the student interns will meet for a scheduled
discussion, seminar or social event.
In the mini-symposium that is scheduled during the last week of the
program, each Summer Intern will be asked to give a brief presentation to
describe their research project. Interns will also be asked to write a three-page essay
outlining what they learned in the program, summarizing their research
experience and describing what they liked most and least about the
program
Application Process
There are three components to the application. These are explained
fully in the
on-line application page.
Student Selection Process
We will accept up to 15 students in the Summer 2008 program. Intern
selections will be made by the Program Director and the Advisory Board.
Selections will be based on scholarship, the personal reference letter and an
evaluation of the student's interests.
Stipend
Interns will receive a stipend of $3,000. In
addition, the Faculty Mentor will receive a grant of $500 from the College of
Medicine to defray the cost of research supplies for the research project
conducted by the intern.
Mentor/Intern Matches
After the group of interns is finalized in early March, prospective interns
and mentors will be free to contact each other to determine suitable
matches. Each student will be paired with one faculty mentor. You are
invited to review the research interests of the faculty mentors. In the
application form, interns are encouraged to suggest specific research topics
and/or mentors.
Important Dates
February 15, 2008 12 noon - Application Deadline
June 2, 2008 - Start of Internship
August 6, 2008 - Mini-Symposium
August 8, 2008 - End of Internship
Students invited to participate in the 2008 Program will be
notified beginning March 17. Please
contact our
office if you have any questions or concerns about either the program or application
process.
Housing
Interns invited to participate in the 2008 Program may elect to live on
campus in our housing facilities. The charge for the first month is
covered by the program with the remaining charges paid by the intern
(~$428 - $438/month ). More
information about our housing facilities can be found on our
website.
SURIP Mentoring Triad
The SURIP Intern
College students who are interested in pursing a career in the biological
sciences The program is intended for college students who have completed
their Sophomore or Junior year. Selection is based on letters of
recommendation, course background and performance, and a short essay
indicative of a genuine interest in biomedical research. In addition to the
implementation of the research project, interns attend weekly luncheons
focused on career development and scientific topics. Interns describe their
projects and findings in a poster presentation at the MiniSymposium in the
final week and write a short essay on their experiences.
2008 SCHEDULES
The SURIP Mentor
Penn State College of Medicine Faculty who are interested in supporting
undergraduate research Mentors are expected to be present for at least 8
weeks of the 10 week program and to have daily interactions with the
student, including weekly discussion/review of the project. Each mentor will
be asked to give an informal presentation on their research during one of
the weekly lunch sessions and will identify an appropriate Junior Mentor
from within their research group. The Mentor will supply the $3000 intern
stipend, however, $500 will be transferred from the program budget to a
general fund budget for supplies. While the advisory committee makes all
decisions regarding the acceptance of interns, after the participation of
accepted interns has been confirmed, there will be an opportunity for
interns and mentors to contact each other to identify suitable matches.
The SURIP Junior Mentor
Students or postdoctoral fellows who are interested in developing excellent
mentoring skills Junior Mentors will serve as an additional mentor for the
SURIP interns in their laboratories during the summer and will concurrently
participate in the eight week Mentoring Seminar. In the Seminar, we discuss
objectives for the undergraduate projects, mentoring styles,
troubleshooting, and how to help the undergraduates develop confidence,
independence, creativity, and strong communication skills. We discuss ethnic
and gender issues, including some of the research on prejudices, as well as
how to accommodate diverse intellectual styles in the research lab. The
mentors reflect on both mentoring and being mentored. Participation in the
SURIP Mentoring Program will be voluntary and the SURIP Mentor will choose
the most appropriate person to round out the Mentoring Triad.
SURIP Mentoring Seminars
Sessions for the Junior Mentors will be at 4-5 pm on
Thursdays.
This program is based on the highly successful “Entering Mentoring”
Program developed by Dr. Jo Handelsman at the University of Wisconsin
(download a complete description of the program from
http://www.hhmi.org/grants/pdf/labmgmt/entering_mentoring.pdf).
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