Summer Undergraduate Research Internship Program: Request for Applications

Key Dates

  • Program announcement: February 28, 2024
  • Applications due: April 5, 2024 by 5:00 p.m.
  • Anticipated selection date: April 19, 2024
  • Anticipated Start date: May 20, 2024
  • Funding Period: up to 15 weeks

Description

The Center for Translational Medicine (CTM) at the University of Montana is a multi-disciplinary research center that assists faculty, staff, and students in the translation of research ideas from bench to bedside. To provide additional opportunities for undergraduate students to obtain valuable research experience CTM will support up to four summer interns in the labs of participating faculty at UM during the 2024 summer session. Support will include wages ($15-18/hour depending on experience) for full-time (40hr/week) summer employment up to 15 weeks. CTM will also include up to $1000 in supply money to directly support the intern’s research during this period (General Terms and Conditions below). Applicants, together with their faculty mentors, must submit a proposal that details the proposed research, how it relates to translational medicine and a plan for training and mentorship of the intern (safety, good documentation practices and lab notebook best practices must be addressed during the first week for new interns).


Eligibility

Undergraduate intern must be enrolled in a University (any accredited 4-year University) as a full-time student during the spring 2024 semester (2024 graduates are not eligible).


To be eligible, undergraduate student applicants must identify a faculty mentor to sponsor their application. The mentor must be an affiliate faculty member of CTM.

Criteria for evaluation

Applications should be written by students with faculty guidance since the application process itself is intended to provide instructional value to the students. Review criteria include:

  • Prior academic and scholarly performance of the student (student resume and current college transcript (unofficial) is required as part of the application). Prior undergraduate research experience is not required.
  • Likelihood of the project providing a safe, positive research experience for the student in an area relevant to their intended or current degree program.
  • Likelihood of summer research allowing the student to showcase their work in a presentation, poster or manuscript in a peer reviewed journal or professional conference such as UMCUR.
  • Mentorship plan that helps the student learn valuable technical skills and develop critical thinking skills as an independent researcher.
  • Relevance of the research experience to translational medicine. Builds on basic research advances (studies of biological processes using cell cultures, for example, or animal models) and uses them to develop new therapies, devices or medical procedures.

General Terms and Conditions

  1. Faculty mentor must be a participating member of CTM (http://hs.umt.edu/ctm).
  2. Summer support funds will directly pay intern wages ($15-18/hr based on student experience), and up to $1000 in consumable materials/supplies to be used directly by the summer intern’s research. Non-UM students are welcome to apply but no funds will be provided for room & board or travel.
  3. Undergraduate research credits are available during the UM summer session.
  4. Applications must include a description of the proposed research project and its applicability to translational medicine.
  5. Faculty Member must provide a letter of support and mentoring plan for the student (mentorship plan may involve other senior members of the laboratory staff).
  6. Student resume and current academic transcript (official or unofficial) must be included with the application.
  7. The intent of the CTM summer internship program is to provide funds for full time (40 hours per week) internships for up to 15 weeks. Shorter duration and/or part-time internships will be considered, but justification must be provided in the application.
  8. Interns are expected to participate in a summer undergraduate internship seminar presentation at the end of the internship (date TBD).
  9. UM undergraduate interns are encouraged to participate in the UM Conference on Undergraduate Research Symposium (UMCUR).

To Apply

  1. Application details:
    • Due by 5pm, Monday April 5, 2024 to deborah.conroy@umontana.edu
    • Use Arial 12 font, single space with 0.5” margins
    • Application should include the following:
    • Research strategy/approach (up to 2 pages in length)
      • Background
      • Specific aims/approach
      • Applicability to translational medicine
    • Bibliography (from research strategy/approach)
    • Student Resume
    • Student (official or unofficial) Transcript
    • Letter of support/mentoring plan from Faculty Mentor (1 page, Arial 12 font, single space with 0.5” margins
    • Completed applications must be received as a single PDF document (email to Deborah.Conroy@umontana.edu) by 5 pm, Monday April 5, 2024.
  2. Review and Notification:
    • Applications will be reviewed by CTM Advisory Council.
    • Applying students and faculty mentors will be notified of their selection status by April 19, 2024.

Please address any questions to Debbie Conroy ( deborah.conroy@umontana.edu) or visit the CTM web site.