Biology Research Fellows ProgramBiology Research Fellows Program
BIOLOGY RESEARCH INTERNSHIPS & FELLOWSHIPS PROGRAM: 2012-2013
Applications for Summer 2013 Internships will be available after Feb 12
Application Deadline - March 10, 2013
The program supports 1½ year Biology Research Fellowships as well as 3-month Summer Biology Research Internships. All Fellows and Interns conduct research, receive mentoring from faculty, and participate in professional development workshops, research symposia, and outreach activities. The goal of the program is to increase the diversity and number of undergraduates going into graduate training and research careers in the biological sciences. The program is funded primarily by a grant from the National Science Foundation, with additional support from the Cornell Provost’s Office.
Summer Biology Research Internships include a $5000 stipend for the 10 week research program and $1000 for research expenses. We anticipate funding 8-12 summer Internships in 2013.
Biology Research (BioRes) Fellowships: NOT ACCEPTING ANY FURTHER APPLICATIONS
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
To be eligible for an Internship a student must be:
· A US citizen or permanent resident.
· A Cornell student graduating after May 2013. [Note: current seniors graduating in Dec 2013 are eligible.]
· Majoring in Biology or a related field (e.g., Entomology, Natural Resources, Plant Biology, Nutrition, Biology and Society, Biological and Environmental Engineering, etc).
· Able to contribute to the program’s goal of increasing the diversity of the biological research community. The ways in which students can contribute to this goal include, but are not restricted to: (a) being a member of a group currently underrepresented in the biological sciences (the National Science Foundation identifies these as Hispanic/Latino/a, African-American, Native American, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander; (b) demonstrated involvement with tutoring/mentoring other students or children from underrepresented ethnic/minority groups or academically disadvantaged backgrounds; (c) showing a commitment to future training of students and scientists from underrepresented groups.
· Applicants must be planning to pursue a career in biological research, including going on for graduate study in a Master’s, PhD, MD/PhD, or DVM/PhD program. Students planning to pursue an MD are eligible for the Internships, but priority will be given to applicants interested in pursuing research degrees.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Applications are due March 10, 2013. Applications and instructions will be available at this website after Feb 12, 2013.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Summer BioRes Interns will be selected based on (i) academic qualifications and potential as a researcher, as evidenced by performance in relevant courses and letters of recommendation; and (ii) evidence of ability to contribute, and/or interest in contributing, to the goal of diversifying the national scientific community. (iii) interest in a research career in biological sciences as evidenced in the essay and letters of recommendation.
FACULTY MENTORS AND RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
Cornell University has over 300 biology faculty with diverse research interests that range from molecular biology to ecosystem responses to global climate change. These faculty are primarily within the Departments of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Microbiology, Biomedical Sciences, Plant Biology, Entomology, Neurobiology and Behavior, and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. However, additional appropriate faculty mentor/research-supervisors can be found in related departments (e.g. Natural Resources, Bioengineering, Psychology, etc).
The Office of Undergraduate Biology website has lots of information on getting involved in research (http://www.biology.cornell.edu/research) and the Director of Undergraduate Research, Colleen Kearns ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ), is an excellent resource for helping students find advisors/labs of interest.
For students interested in BioRes Internships, any faculty member who is willing to be committed and involved in mentoring an Intern in his/her laboratory is appropriate as a research supervisor. Students who have not yet found a faculty mentor and research lab may apply and then work with the Program Director to explore research areas of interest and identify an appropriate faculty mentor.
PROGRAM DETAILS: SUMMER BIOLOGY RESEARCH INTERNSHIPS
Research: Each Fellow will conduct full-time research under the mentorship of a Cornell faculty member; additionally, the student may be co-mentored by a graduate student or postdoctoral fellow. Over the summer, the student is expected to progress from learning relevant scientific techniques to developing his/her own research project, analyzing data, and interpreting and presenting results.
Professional Development: Interns will participate in workshops on scientific ethics, researching the scientific literature, organizing and analyzing data, oral and written scientific communication, and careers in scientific research.
Outreach: Fellows will host laboratory visits and give short research talks to students in the Cornell Pre-freshmen Summer Program, high school students in Cornell’s Summer College and/or Cornell’s Summer Institute for Biology Teachers.
Research Symposium: The summer will conclude with a symposium, attending by faculty mentors and other lab members, in which Fellows give 15-min presentations on their research projects.
EXPECTATIONS OF BIOLOGY RESEARCH FELLOWS AND INTERNS
Fellows and Interns are expected to: (1) Perform scientific studies carefully; collect and report all data and procedures accurately and honestly. (2) Be responsible, committed members of their research laboratories; work cooperatively with their advisor and other members of the research group; attend lab meetings and meet regularly with their faculty research supervisor/mentor; and spend 15 hours per week doing research during academic semesters and full-time during the summer programs.
The Fellowships provide generous financial support to allow students to focus their non-coursework time on doing research. Therefore, Fellows will not be allowed to have other employment during the academic semesters or summers when they are receiving a Fellowship stipend. Any exceptions to this must be approved, in advance, by the Program Director.