Greetings from Dallas, Texas!
I hope this letter finds you well and navigating the impact of COVID-19 as best as possible. As many of you know, COVID-19 led to the cancellation of our 2020 AMGEN and SURF programs. This was an extremely difficult decision and, while I provided virtual opportunities for learning, I know these fell short of an in person hands-on research experience. I hope that we will be able to host undergraduate students for research in summer 2021. In summer 2021, UT Southwestern Medical Center hopes to host 115 bright and passionate undergraduates who plan to pursue a PhD or MD/PhD in the biological sciences.
For the 3rd year, UT Southwestern will host an Amgen Scholars Program. In year 1 of the Amgen Scholars program at UT Southwestern, we hosted 16 undergraduates from across the U.S. and had a spectacular summer. The 2021 UT Southwestern Amgen Scholars Program will provide an exceptional 10 week intensive hands-on research program which will include a trip to Los Angeles to attend the Amgen Scholars Summer Biotechnology Symposium. All details about the program and our application can be found at www.utsouthwestern.edu/amgenscholars.
For the 30th year, UT Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences will sponsor the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program. The goal of SURF is to give undergraduate students an intensive, 10-week research experience in a world class research environment. Students immerse themselves in the laboratory and work on individual research projects with UT Southwestern Graduate School faculty. Most areas of modern biomedical engineering, cancer biology, cell biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, development, genetics, immunology, microbiology, neuroscience, stem cell, and pharmacology are represented. The SURF website can be found at www.utsouthwestern.edu/SURF.
Additional SURF sub programs will also continue this coming summer:
In the summer of 2017, we launched a highly successful SURF subprogram specifically focused on stem cells and regenerative medicine, entitled SURF-Stem Cell. This program will be repeated in Summer 2021 and information can be found at www.utsouthwestern.edu/surf-stemcell.
For the 19th year, we will continue the Quantitative and Physical Science Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (QP-SURF) Program. This program, initially funded by a NIGMS training grant and now funded internally, will accept students who are earning their undergraduate degrees in the field of biomedical engineering, mathematics, computer science, physics, or chemistry. The goal of QP-SURF is to give students an intensive, research experience and demonstrate to students in the physical and quantitative sciences how their knowledge and skill sets are applied in a biomedical research setting. QP-SURF students would carry out their 10-week research project in a biomedical engineering, biophysics, computational biology, or quantitative/analytical chemistry laboratory. The program website and on-line application for QP-SURF can be found at www.utsouthwestern.edu/qp-surf.
For the 11th year, we are highlighting opportunities for undergraduates interested in research at the interface between chemistry and biomedical research through QP-SURF-Chemistry. We hope you will bring this opportunity to the attention of your chemistry students. Information is available at www.utsouthwestern.edu/qp-surf-chemistry.
Finally, for the 9th year, we are also sponsoring the Summer Undergraduate Research Institution for the Study of Kidney Disease (SURISKD) Program. This program is funded by a National Institute of Health and National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIHIDDKD) training grant and will accept undergraduates who are earning their undergraduate degrees in the field of natural sciences. The goal of SURISKD is to give college students an intensive summer research training experience who are preparing for Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. careers in kidney-related research. SURISKD Fellows spend 10-weeks pursuing individual research projects that range from embryonic development and physiology to /kidney cancer and imaging in the laboratories of Graduate School faculty members. The SURISKD website and on-line application can be found at www.utsouthwestern.edu/SURISKD.
All six summer programs include topic specific weekly science seminars, optional courses in genetics, cancer, organic chemistry and neuroscience, a leadership course, social events, and a scientific poster session at the conclusion of the program. Our programs, including the Amgen Scholars Program, will run from June 7th through August 13th, 2021. Participants will be selected based on their essays, letters of recommendation, course work, and experience. The stipend for the 10-week program is $4,000. If a fellow requires housing, the costs will be covered by the program; however, all fellows (with the exception of the Amgen Scholars) are responsible for paying their own travel expenses to and from Dallas.
The application deadline for the Amgen Scholars and SURF programs is February 1st, 2021. I would like to ask you to post the summer program fliers and announce these summer programs to students who have indicated an interest in a research career and might wish to apply. Previous fellows have been enthusiastic about their experience; most have subsequently enrolled in highly competitive Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. programs. As always, I would be happy to answer any questions you or your students have about our summer research opportunities.
Each year, many SURF fellows matriculate into Ph.D. and M.D./Ph.D. programs at UT Southwestern. We are now in our 8th year of completing all Ph.D. coursework during year one of our umbrella program; therefore, Ph.D. students are in the lab full-time after one year of classes. Our goal is to train students to think as independent research scientists and we believe this goal can be best achieved in the laboratory! Our average time to degree is ~5.3 years and our stipend for our PhD and MD/PhD students is $35,000/year plus tuition, health insurance and fees. If you have students interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in the biomedical sciences, I hope they will visit our website (www.utsouthwestern.edu/gradschool) and learn about all 11 of our Ph.D. programs. Our Fall 2021 application deadline is December 1, 2020. I might mention we have no application fee.
If you do have students who are applying now for PhD programs for Fall 2021, I would like to invite them to a live Admissions webinar with Questions & Answers. Students can register at https://utsouthwestern-edu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2R8cWSFVRxy1SJ7TwRoy2w
Best wishes for a successful fall and a return to the “old normal” in the months to come!
Nancy
Nancy E. Street, PhD
Associate Dean, Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
UT Southwestern Medical Center
5323 Harry Hines Blvd.
Dallas, TX 75390-9004
Nancy.street@utsouthwestern.edu
www.utsouthwestern.edu/gradschool
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