Undergraduate college students from across the country have an exciting opportunity to start or accelerate their research work in the College of Health, thanks to an American Heart Association (AHA) Institutional Award for Undergraduate Student Training.
J. David Symons, PhD, professor with the Department of Nutrition and Integrative Physiology, secured the grant, which goes to qualified institutions that can offer a meaningful research experience supporting the AHA’s mission. This summer, he’ll serve as director for a program partner of the University’s Summer Program for Undergraduate Research (SPUR) called “Training in Lipotoxicity-Induced Cardiovascular and Metabolic Complications.”
SPUR is a nationally competitive opportunity that provides undergraduate students with an intensive 10-week summer research experience under the mentorship of a University of Utah faculty member.
“Any of these students could potentially join us in the future as a graduate student, no matter where they’re from,” Symons said. “When they arrive for the summer and see how beautiful the area is and what the University has to offer, it might encourage them to apply to one of our many graduate programs.”
Symons’ program will fund five different students per summer for three years to work with one of five principal investigators for 10 weeks. Each successful applicant will pair off with one of four scholars in NUIP or a fifth from the School of Medicine:
o Symons will focus on acute ischemic stroke
o Amandine Chaix, PhD, will focus on insulin secretion defects
o Will Holland, PhD, will focus on cerebrovascular and cognitive decline
o Sihem Boudina, PhD, will focus on cardiac dysfunction
o Nirupama Ramkumar, MD, MPH, will focus on chronic kidney disease.
The student awardees will receive a $6,000 stipend for the program duration, plus an additional $3,000 to travel to an AHA-sponsored conference. They’re hired as short-term, temporary employees, allowing them to receive University of Utah ID cards for library access, university discounts and free public transport. Symons said applicants can come from any major from any accredited Institution across the United States.
“Student applicants are traditionally on pre-med, pre-pharmacy, or pre physician assistant tracks, for example, and this program is designed to open their eyes to a potential career in basic science research, like a PhD program,” he said. “The stipend amount ensures the student won’t go broke during their 10-week experience, they will learn a lot about science, themselves, and their potential career path. They will also most certainly have the opportunity to enjoy all that summer in Utah has to offer.”
The mentoring team is committed to a successful student experience and will work with them daily once they’ve started the program, in many cases forming long-lasting professional relationships. In addition to working in the lab, students will receive training on how to analyze, interpret, and present their findings—all of which will be on display at the Office of Undergraduate Research sponsored Summer Symposium, as well as the AHA-sponsored conference.
In addition to performing basic science research, students will be involved in career development training to foster their growth beyond the laboratory as they prepare for post-graduate studies. Many of the skills they learn will be transferrable to future education and careers.
The Office of Undergraduate Research will play a big part in ensuring the program is a success, helping to market the opportunity, arranging a weekly educational series, and organizing a Summer Research Symposium wherein all Program Partners interact. That’s especially helpful since Symons received enough funding to run the program for at least three years, and he’s officially a program partner with the office.
“I enjoy training undergraduates because they provide a new perspective in the lab, and the process contributes to our teaching mission,” he said. “These students will have basically 1-1 or even 2-1 instruction—postdocs and graduate students also serve as important ‘near-peer mentors.’ Ultimately, the summer experience will contribute importantly to a student’s decision to (or even not to) pursue a career in basic science research.”
To learn more about the program and the other projects directed by COH faculty, visit https://our.utah.edu/research-scholarship-opportunities/spur/.