Scott & White/Texas A&M Health Science Center
Early Career Research Experiences Program in Health Sciences
Temple, Texas

June 2 – August 8, 2008
2008 Application Deadline: March 18

The Early Career Research Experiences Program is a 10-week summer training program for rising Junior and Senior year undergraduate students interested in careers that include health science research.

The program will:

1. Actively engage undergraduate students in health science research
2. Teach skills for communicating science across multiple disciplines, and 
3. Foster the development of scientists committed to translating scientific findings into applications that promote health.

Students will be active members of faculty-led research teams and will focus primarily on a single project within the team’s ongoing research program. They will also participate in a core curriculum that will foster a cohort experience and compliment the mentored research experience with didactic training and guided professional communication assignments. The program is funded by Scott & White.

Participant Eligibility Criteria

• Rising junior or senior undergraduate student (i.e., will be a junior or senior in the fall semester of 2008)
• 3.3 or higher overall GPA, or 3.5 or higher GPA in major field of study
• Basic research training
  • Completed one or more research methods or science laboratory courses with a grade of B or higher, or
  • At least 20 hours of experience in a research lab (faculty recommendations must document lab experience)
• Interest in a field of study that matches the work of a participating mentor
• Commitment to complete full 10-week program

Program Activities (approximately 40 hours per week)

Mentored Research Activities

Mentored research activities will familiarize participants with research in a clinical or basic science research field. Students will learn relevant theories, research methods, skills for protection of human or animal subjects, and logistics of research conduct (e.g., recruiting and retaining subjects, professional collaboration and dissemination of findings).

Students will dedicate most of their time to mentored research activities. They will be active members of their research teams. Examples of mentored experiences include:

• Observe and/or assist with data collection
• Conduct data entry and data analysis
• Recruit, screen and obtain informed consent from research subjects
• Contribute to manuscript and grant development
• Assist with submissions to the IRB
• Attend research team meetings and research colloquia
• Interact on a regular basis with the mentor

Core Curriculum (Group Activities)

Students will attend activities related to a core curriculum for 2 to 4 hours per week. Examples of curriculum topics include:

• Ethical and professional research conduct
• Protection of human and animal subjects, including observation of an IRB or IACUC
• Skills for professional writing and presentation, including peer and faculty feedback on writing and presentations
• Introduction to career paths in research and areas of research at Scott & White/TAMHSC/VA (e.g., lab tours, mentor presentations)

Housing and Employment

Student housing is available in shared four-person (4 bedrooms) co-ed apartments. Housing will be paid by the program only if students choose to live in the arranged housing. If participants choose not to live in arranged housing, they will be responsible for the cost of alternative housing. No additional funds will be available to cover those costs.

All participants will be hired as Scott & White employees for the 10-week program and will be paid $4,500.

2008 Application Deadline: March 18

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