The University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) seeks funding for 24 under-represented, or disadvantaged, or disabled undergraduate students to participate in a 10-week summer research program at the campus in Worcester. UMMS annually receives over $174 million in federal research funding, areas of concentrations include: diabetes, molecular genetics immunology, virology, AIDS, cancer, signal transduction, structural biology (with attention to innovative drug design), prevention, bone cell biology, chemical biology, gene function and expression, neurosciences, imaging, occupational and environmental health. UMMS has provided research opportunities to students since 1991 and to undergraduates since 1993. UMMS provides a rich, collaborative research environment with significant Core Research Facilities, in addition to equipment in the individual laboratories where trainees are placed. Summer research trainees participate in a highly structured experience that includes orientation lectures on Animal Safety, Chemical Safety, Radiation Safety, Use of the Library, Laboratory Notebooks, Introduction to Biomedical Research and the Responsible Conduct of Research. Over 40 committed UMMS faculty with extensive research backgrounds and extramural support hosts trainees in their laboratories. Trainees attend Group Meetings conducted by UMMS graduate students, Brown Bag luncheons with invited guest researchers and lab meetings where their research is being conducted. Trainees are given their own research projects within the hosts'laboratories and are expected to prepare an abstract of their work and present a poster at the Closing Program Poster Session. Trainees are housed in a local college dormitory and provided with social activities throughout the ten weeks. An extensive program evaluation is conducted at the end of the program. Information from the evaluation is used allow comparisons from year-to-year and to make improvements in the program. Since 1993, there have been 230 NIH trainees, with seven trainees returning for a second year. Thirty-four trainees engaged in research on the doctoral, masters or research assistant levels listed in over 85 publications and poster sessions as authors, co-authors, research associates/assistant and technicians. Three trainees have matriculated at the UMMS Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Other career choices include medical school (38), dental school (3), and veterinary school (1). Many who attended medical school have participated in research, publishing papers as well.
