The sleep and chronobiology summer research apprenticeship aims to foster mental health research education primarily for undergraduate students, but also for young pre- and postdoctoral scientists. Thus, the program provides 15 undergraduate students with an intensive research and academic experience in a human sleep and chronobiology research laboratory, helps support a summer teaching assistantship for a predoctoral student, and provides opportunities for young scientists to serve as visiting scholars/role models. Sleep and circadian rhythms research have a longstanding history of support from the NIMH, and they continue to be areas of importance to the nation's mental health research agenda For example; the National Center for Sleep Disorders Research has recently increased attention to these issues, producing an escalating need for trained scientists. Although undergraduate education programs by their very nature do not have immediate impact on needs for trained investigators, mental health researchers who understand basic principles underlying sleep and circadian rhythms will continue to be needed on a long-term basis. Applicants are recruited from Brown University (approximately 50%), the Sleep Research Society trainee network, the Venture Consortium of 8 liberal arts colleges and universities, and minority recruitment is targeted through the Leadership Alliance. Trainees participate for 13 weeks, including 2 weeks of intensive lab skills training. one week attending the annual meeting of the sleep professional societies (APSS), a 10-week research apprenticeship in an ongoing study of sleep and circadian rhythms in adolescents (stipends supported by a research grant), seminar series with young scientists, and research paper presented at a concluding colloquium. This grant will support the academic and career development aspects of the research apprenticeship through tuition and fees to Brown Summer Studies, which gives trainees access to all of Brown's academic facilities (e.g., libraries, computer clusters, writing tutors); attendance at the annual APSS meeting, which exposes students to other research areas and sleep trainees; visiting young scholar seminar series, where trainees interact with young scientists who themselves benefit from the tangible acknowledgement of their career choices. In summary, the sleep and chronobiology summer research apprenticeship program supports mental health research education by providing to undergraduate students research training in this field of behavioral science, an intensive hands-on experience in a working laboratory, and exposure to role models for careers in research.
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