The University of California Berkeley will host 12 motivated undergraduate students interested in careers in biology to participate in a 10-week residential summer research program in Cell, Developmental, and Evolutionary Biology. The goals of this intensive program are (1) To foster an appreciation of how interwoven concepts unite the field of biology across many layers of organizational complexity. Students will participate in a series of faculty seminars ranging from cell biology to paleoanthropology and bioinformatics. (2) To foster independent research capabilities. Students will participate in individual research projects based on their interests and the availability of participating faculty. The research experience will be shaped by faculty and doctoral students from the 4 participating units of Molecular & Cell Biology, Integrative Biology, Plant & Microbial Biology , and the DOE Joint Genome Institute. (3) To enhance student success and guide them toward graduate studies. Students will participate in professional development workshops including scientific ethics, GRE preparation, writing an effective research statement/application, making effective oral presentations, understanding the funding structure of biology, and more. (4) To become familiar with life at a large research university. Students will interact extensively with undergraduate peers from the Biology Scholars Program (http://bsp.berkeley.edu). Applications from ethnic minority students underrepresented in the sciences and from those who have little opportunity for research experience at their home institution are especially encouraged. Participants will receive a stipend, plus housing, meals and travel costs. Participating faculty are committed to facilitating student success and a diverse bioscience community. More information and application materials are available at http://mcb.berkeley.edu/nsfreu/ or by contacting Professor David Weisblat (weisblat@berkeley.edu, 510 842 8309).
