Short Term Educational Program (STEP) towards Digestive & Metabolic Physiology
Opportunity Description:
Short Term Educational Program (STEP) towards Digestive and Metabolic Physiology is specifically targeted to students from mathematics, physics engineering, computational sciences and other quantitative backgrounds to encourage them to apply their expertise to research relevant to digestive and metabolic physiology and associated diseases.
Each student is matched, based on their interests, to a laboratory that is led by a faculty mentor of the Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology and other departments at the University of Michigan Medical School(link is external). This collection of laboratories is involved in nationally recognized research, in topics such as obesity and diabetes, endocrine and metabolic diseases, kidney and urologic diseases, nutrition and weight control.
The funding amount for 2022 will be $6,000, pre-tax, for twelve weeks of full-time work from May 31 through August 19. The start and/or end date of the fellowship may be shifted slightly to accommodate overlap with the academic year at home institutions, if necessary. The laboratory hands-on research experience is complemented by a weekly noon lecture series with presentations on responsible conduct of research, several aspects of digestive and metabolic physiology, and how loss of physiological regulation leads to disease. Students are expected to attend other departmental and university lectures/seminars. Towards the end of the summer fellowship, the students will participate in a mini-symposium in which they give a 10 minute oral presentation of their research findings followed by a question and answer period.
Primary Responsibilities:
Student awardees will be responsible for paying for housing during their fellowship from their stipend. Several opportunities for summer housing exist but most students will find subletting off campus housing as the most reasonable and cost effective. The average cost of summer housing was factored into the stipend amount for this award.
Students are expected to work 40 hours per week in the laboratory during the 12 week fellowship period excluding July 4. If any vacation days are requested, they must be agreed upon by the faculty member and the student, and the hours must be made up by the student before the end of the summer.
Students will be required to attend a Summer Symposium, where they will have the opportunity to report their research findings.
Minimum Qualifications and/or Eligibility Requirements:
Any student that is currently enrolled in a degree granting college or university is eligible. Applicants should have excellent academic records. Preference will be given to students with strong academic performance in science courses and relevant laboratory experience. Applicants need to be US citizens or permanent residents of USA.
Application Process:
Interested students can apply for a Molecular & Integrative Summer Fellowship by completing the following:
- Complete and submit an online Application Form(link is external). Please remember that your personal statements, undergraduate transcript (official or unofficial) and your three picks for faculty mentors (in order) will be required on the website before you submit your application. Please indicate if you are US citizen, permanent resident or alien.
- Please arrange for two confidential recommendations to be sent on your behalf and enter the recommenders email address in the online application to support this process. The link for the recommendation form will be sent by email directly to the recommender for completion.
Application deadline: Monday, February 28, 11:59 p.m.