Summer Programs at Rutgers
Rutgers hosts several programs over the summer for undergraduates to participate in an immersive research experience. In addition to the all of the benefits of a major research university, students can easily visit the ocean or the mountains and take trips to New York City and Philadelphia. Click on the tabs below to learn about some of these opportunities for students in the biomedical science and engineering communities.
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Rutgers is the home to a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site on Cellular Bioengineering — From Biomaterials to Stem Cells. This program is supported by grants from the National Science Foundation. The REU was established as a pipeline activity of an IGERT training program in the Integrated Science and Engineering of Stem Cells under which it ran from 2003-2009. The REU program serves a diverse population of students to whom cutting-edge research experiences are not typically available and thus broadens the pipeline to graduate school for a wide range of students. The current program is led by Professors David Shreiber (PI) and Maribel Vazquez (co-PI) and has operated as an REU since 2010, successfully providing research opportunities and professional development to fourteen cohorts totaling 134 students. With an intellectual focus in Cellular Bioengineering, this program provides research opportunities that articulate with a range of cutting-edge, multidisciplinary areas, including stem cell engineering, systems and computational biology, cell-active biomaterials, and micro/nanoscale biosystems. The research experience is complemented by weekly exercises aimed at professional development. Currently, the program has a strong emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship, and shepherds the students through the process of creating a business plan centered around the research projects. A new emphasis on engineering to address health disparities has been piloted in this 3-year cycle.
Click here to learn more about the NSF REU in Cellular Bioengineering
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Rutgers is the home to a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site on Advanced Materials. This program is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation and serves a diverse population of students to whom cutting-edge research experiences are not typically available and thus broadens the pipeline to graduate school for a wide range of students. The current program is led by Professors Meenakshi Dutt (PI) of the Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Department and Deirdre O’Connell (co-PI) of the Materials Science and Engineering Department. The interdisciplinary nature of this REU provides a rich environment for research in a broad array of materials topics ranging from graphene composites to the application of computational materials concepts to advanced catalysts for use in the pharmaceutical and petroleum industries. The research experience is complemented by weekly exercises aimed at professional development. Currently, the program has a strong emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship, and shepherds the students through the process of viewing their research in a creative scientific context and with ultimate commercialization as a goal.
Click here to learn more about the REU in Advanced Materials
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RISE at Rutgers is a nationally acclaimed summer research program for outstanding undergraduates from diverse backgrounds. Scholars participate in cutting-edge research in the biological, physical, and social/ behavioral sciences, math, engineering, and exciting interdisciplinary areas under the guidance of carefully matched faculty mentors. A comprehensive professional development component, including GRE preparation, complements the research. Visit our 2023 RISE Symposium to see all that our Scholars achieved.
We particularly encourage applications from students from underrepresented, disadvantaged, non-traditional or first-generation college backgrounds or who attend schools with limited research opportunities.
Click here to learn more about the RISE at Rutgers summer program
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The Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy announces the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program. The program is intended for highly motivated undergraduates interested in a research career in the pharmaceutical and environmental sciences. Students are provided with an opportunity to conduct full-time research in areas related to Pharmacology and Toxicology, Environmental Health Sciences, Pharmaceutics, Medicinal Chemistry, Chemical Biology, and Clinical Pharmacy. The SURF program is open to undergraduate students currently enrolled at a university in the United States. Previous experience performing independent laboratory or clinical research is not required.
The 10-week program will run May – July 2024 (exact dates TBD) and provides a competitive stipend. Students must be available for the entire 10-week period. Training includes hands-on research conducted in the laboratories or clinical practices of faculty members, round table discussions of research progress, and seminars on research careers and activities of the faculty. Students also participate in career development workshops and a field trip to a pharmaceutical company. At the end of the fellowship, each student will provide a brief oral presentation on his or her summer research project.
Some applicants may also be excellent candidates for a joint appointment with the RISE (Research Intensive Summer Experience) program, a residential program. We encourage you to check eligibility and also apply at https://www.rise.rutgers.edu. The RISE application includes a checkbox where you can indicate your interest in SURF.
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What are SUPER-Grad Fellowships?
The SUPER-Grad (Summer Undergraduate Pipeline to Excellence at Rutgers Graduate) program awards prestigious fellowships to outstanding alumni of our summer undergraduate research programs who return to Rutgers for graduate school. Candidates for these fellowships include alumni of the RISE at Rutgers program, partner REU sites, and other diversity-focused summer programs who are admitted to Rutgers doctoral programs.
This means that if you participate in one of our diversity-focused summer programs, there are specific fellowships for enrolling in a PhD program at Rutgers earmarked just for you!
To learn more about the SUPER-Grad program, click here. You can also view a virtual presentation by David Shreiber about the SUPER-Grad program from the 2021 BMES meeting in the Biomedical Engineering Education Track entitled “From Summer Research Scholar to PhD Student: A Pipeline Fellowship Program” by clicking here.