This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Bacteriology and College of Agricultural and Life Sciences will direct an NSF-funded International Research Experience for Students in Microbiology program for five students, undergraduate or graduate, during the summers of 2010-2012. Recruiting efforts will pay particular attention to underrepresented minorities and women and those with limited opportunities at their home institutions. Selected students will spend ten weeks in a biological sciences laboratory in the Department of Microbiology at Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand conducting their own full-time research project in microbiology, microbial genetics and/or molecular biology. They will study under the direction of Thai faculty mentors in active, top-notch, internationally recognized research laboratories.
The program provides a unique summer study-abroad program without the need to postpone graduation due to the rigid course scheduling requirements of most biological sciences curricula. The goal is to encourage young scientists into internationally active careers in science. This will aid in ensuring the United States remains at the forefront of world science and technology by ensuring an educated science and engineering workforce capable of operating in the international research environment and a global market.
