Summer 2009 Research Programs for
Undergraduates Enrolled at Other Institutions

General Information

The Life Sciences Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (LS UROP) at the University of Missouri (MU) coordinates a number of summer research programs for undergraduates enrolled at other institutions. All programs run for 9 weeks (Sunday, May 31 to Friday, July 31, with travel days being Saturday, May 30 and Saturday, Aug. 1). Students selected for these programs live in on-campus, air-conditioned housing (double rooms), and receive a full meal plan, covered by the program. Summer interns also are provided with funds to cover one hour of academic credit, travel to and from Columbia, and a stipend of $3400.

Funds are available for 30 non-MU students in several different programs.

• Computational Neurosciences - Pending Funding
• Miller Summer Research Internships in Animal Sciences
  (open application)
• NSF-REU in Biology/Biochemistry - Pending Funding
  (limited application)
• Plant Genomics Internships at Missouri (PGI@MU)
  (open application)
• Radiochemistry Research Internship Program
  (open application) - Pending Funding

An additional 70+ undergraduates from MU or in other programs will participate in all research and educational programming activities, creating a vibrant community of undergraduate researchers. Students will work on their own research project under the guidance of an MU faculty mentor and present their results at a poster Forum at the end of the summer (July 30). Students become part of a lab team that typically includes other undergraduate students, graduate students, lab technicians, and post-doctoral researchers. With 350 faculty members, over fifteen academic departments, and eight interdisciplinary programs and centers (all focused on the life sciences), MU is a great place for undergraduates preparing for a challenging career in biomedical and life sciences research and education! Our Columbia campus includes schools and colleges of Arts and Science; Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources; Engineering; Health Professions; Medicine; and Veterinary Medicine — all within walking distance! MU is home to the the nation’s largest (10MW) nuclear reactor found on a college campus. The MU Research Reactor (MURR) provides advanced research opportunities for students and faculty in the neutron-related sciences and engineering and is an excellent facility for radiochemistry research.

Summer program alumni have entered graduate programs at California-Irvine, California-San Diego, Chicago, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa State, Michigan, Missouri, Purdue, Virginia, Washington University (St. Louis), and Wisconsin.

The Campus and Community

MU, the flagship campus of the University of Missouri system, is home to over 26,000 students (6,000 in graduate and professional programs) and 1,760 faculty. Columbia, midway between St. Louis and Kansas City, is a growing community with a population of more than 70,000. Columbia offers most of the benefits of large cities (restaurants, art, theater, music, and a variety of churches) and yet maintains the atmosphere and convenience of a small, diverse college town. There are numerous trails for walking, running, and biking and a variety of city and state parks nearby.

Eligibility

Applicants are expected to have completed at least two years of full-time college enrollment prior to June 2009 and be pursuing a major in animal sciences, biology, biochemistry, chemistry, plant sciences or related fields. Students graduating prior to December 2009 are not eligible. Students must be citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. Please see the information on the individual programs for additional eligibility information.

Application Information

The deadline for applying to these programs is Thursday, Feb. 13, 2009. Students must complete an application form. and provide an unofficial transcript (including fall 2008 grades); at least one letter of recommendation (two preferred); a personal statement including career plans, prior research experience (if any), and statement of research interests; and a resume. Students attending one of the MU Summer Partner Schools (Barry, Florida A&M, Grinnell, Jackson State, Medgar Evers/Kingsborough CC, Missouri State, Prairie View A&M, St. Elizabeth, Truman State, University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and Xavier University of Louisiana) should discuss their interest with their faculty contact at their home institution and submit their application through their faculty contact well in advance of Feb. 13. Completed application packets should be sent to Tina Roberts, Program Coordinator, 150 Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211. FAX: 573-884-9395.

Download 2009 program information.
Download the 2009 application.

Educational Programming

In addition to their research work, students participate in a full series of evening workshops and brown bag lunches designed to provide them with information about research, career preparation and options, and scientific ethics. Speakers have included MU faculty, the chief of pediatrics at the University Hospital, a perinatal research physician from Washington University, a scientist from the Stowers Medical Institute, the CEO of an international pharmaceutical consulting company, a veterinary oncologist, members of the National Academy of Science, clinical oncology researchers, science teachers, directors of graduate programs, and other scientists. Weekly specialty discussions in the areas of cancer research, plant genomics and radiochemistry provide opportunities for students to read articles relevant to the topics and engage in discussion with peers and faculty members. These specialty discussions are open to all students, regardless of program affiliation. A presentation on writing abstracts and designing posters is held in preparation for the poster Forum. Students also may participate in a field trip to St. Louis science facilities that may include the Danforth Plant Sciences Center, Monsanto, and the Human Genome Sequencing Center at Washington University. Social activities also provide opportunities for participants to get to know each other and other members of the MU science community. An mandatory orientation session which includes team building activities is scheduled for Sunday, May 31.

Faculty Mentors

Students are encouraged to read about the research interests of potential faculty mentors on the appropriate MU Web sites. Students may find information on each of the faculty mentors listed below by accessing their departments’ Web sites. Students should list up to 8 faculty that they are interested in working with on their application, regardless of which programs they are applying to. Please note that there is overlap in programs for many of our faculty mentors. Students should check to ensure that faculty mentors they list are participating in the program(s) they are applying for.

Other MU Summer Science Research Programs

Emerge Summer Research Internship
For minority students in ALL areas of science, math and engineering.
Deadline: TBA.

Stevens' Fellows Program in Chemistry
Deadline: TBA

Home Networking Technologies
Contact Hibin Lu at luhaibin@missouri.edu or Wenju Zeng at ZengW@missouri.edu for more information.
Deadline: TBA