UNDERGRADUATE SCIENCE OPPORTUNITIES UPRM- BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT /

WHY PARTICIPATE IN AN UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH PROGRAM ? Excellent experience! Prepares you for graduate and professional school Exposes you to modern research and technology Helps you develop research and laboratory skills Improves your english communication skills Enhances your writing and scientific presentation skills Assists you in career decision Allows for networking opportunities with graduate students and scientists

You may receive credits for the experience through COOP Practice-RUM Excellent social activities Many are completely or partially paid for (housing, stipend and/or travel)

Internship Experience Student Assessment 5- Strongly Agree, 4- Agree, 3- Neutral, 2- Disagree, 1- Strongly Disagree 39 students My enrichment experience…Average Developed a greater awareness of the opportunities available to me in my field.4.79 Strengthened my communication skills.4.87 Strengthened my teamwork skills.4.67 Increased my desire to become a researcher in my field.4.38 Provided me with the opportunities to gain new knowledge and technical skills in my field.4.92 Developed or increased my leadership skills.4.69 Provided me with the opportunities to apply my knowledge and skills to new situations / problems.4.77 Introduced me to a mentor who cared about me and spent time explaining the project and my responsabilities.4.85 Developed my research skills.4.87 Made me aware of global issues.4.59

Look for opportunities at: Internet/WEB Bulletin Boards MARC

S earching for opportunities: Clue Words for searching the web: – Summer undergraduate minority research program – Summer undergraduate internship minority – Minority summer undergraduate internship May add area of interest – Summer minority internship neuroscience May search by institution of interest

Opportunities available in all fields Ecology MD/PhD Biomedical Marine Sciences Nanotechnology ETC…..

1. Look for opportunities. 2. Identify programs that interest you. 3. Enter the program Homepage to make sure you meet their criteria regarding: Career interest (PhD, MD / PhD, health-related) GPA Academic standing (year of study)

GUIDELINES 4. Download the application 5. Apply to more than one institution 6. Contact through if have questions 7. Request letters of recomendation from faculty (with time!). Prepare a resume or summary (with GPA, course and grade, hobbies, associations, jobs, volunteer work etc.) 8. Request official transcripts

PLAN COOP- Can apply for credit and grade (maximun allowable 6 credits): information and forms at See page for requirements COOP coordinator Dr. Carlos Muñoz

Student Research Opportunities Homepage Pagina para buscar las oportunidades de investigación. Se les notificara de opportunidades disponibles de acuerdo a sus intereses. Entrar a pagina y registrarse Videos de investigación de algunos profesores

Summer Opportunities Listings

Listings

Example of an Undergraduate Research Program Description

Caltech’s MURF program Caltech’s MURF program provides support for talented undergraduates to spend a summer working in a research laboratory on the Caltech campus. The MURF program aims to increase the participation of underrepresented students (such as African American, Hispanic, and Native American, females who are underrepresented in their discipline, and first-generation college students) in science and engineering Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. programs. Eligibility Requirements Be current sophomores, juniors, or non-graduating seniors Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.2/4.0 Be a US citizen or Permanent Resident Have an interest in pursuing a Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. Program Elements Students carry out individual research projects under the mentorship of Caltech faculty or JPL technical staff over a ten-week summer period. MURF students may work on a day-to-day basis with a graduate student or postdoctoral scholar co-mentor. Compensation MURF students receive payments of $600/week. Payments will be distributed in equal installments three times over the summer.

GUIDELINES Criteria to considered if accepted to more than one opportunity: -Research project -Potential institution to pursue advance studies -Networking criteria

Examples of Opportunities

HEALTH- RELATED OPPORTUNITIES Summer Medical and Research Training Program- SMART Baylor College of Medicine Houston, Texas Biostep Biomedical Science Training and Enrichment Program for Minorities Yale BioSTEP (Biomedical Science Training and Enrichment Program) provides intensive, short- term summer research training for undergraduates, especially students from groups underrepresented in biomedical sciences at research-intensive universities.

Summer medical and dental educational program). SMDEP is a six-week summer medical and dental school preparatory program. Applicant must be currently enrolled as a freshman or sophomore in college; GPA of 3.0, with 2.75 in the sciences. – Tri-institutional MD-PhD Program in New York Cityhttp://weill.cornell.edu/mdphd/summerprogram/

Undergraduates Opportunities In RUM MARC for students interested in PhD or MD/PhD B-265

Special problems BIOL SPECIAL PROBLEMS IN BIOLOGY. BOTA SPECIAL PROBLEMS IN BOTANY. – Research throughout the semester at RUM – One to three credit hours per semester. – Prerequisite: twelve credits in Biology – Needs faculty mentor approval (must contact faculty for availability)

Student Research Opportunities Homepage Pagina para buscar las oportunidades de investigación. Se les notificara de opportunidades disponibles de acuerdo a sus intereses. Entrar a pagina y registrarse Videos de investigación de algunos profesores