Biology Students Accepted to Summer Research Training Programs

Biology students in the Minority Biomedical Research Support Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (MBRS RISE) program have been selected for summer research programs abroad and at UCLA. Seniors Julissa Castaneda, Onyeka Uzomah, and Sylvia Bonilla were accepted to participate in the Los Angeles Basin-California State University Minority Health and Health Disparities International Research Training (MHIRT) Program funded by the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health. Also, senior Erick Medina was accepted into the UCLA National Science Foundation Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate Summer Research Scholars program, funded by an NSF grant.

MHIRT gives underrepresented students in biomedical research the opportunity to work in international laboratories during the summer. The MHIRT Scholars will spend ten weeks conducting research under the guidance of internationally recognized research mentors in state-of-the-art laboratories. The participating sites are the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, York, London, Chiang Mai University in Thailand, and a research institute in Argentina. Castaneda will conduct her research training at the University of London in Great Britain, while Uzomah will be sent to a basic and clinical research institute in Argentina, and Bonilla will be placed at the University of Oxford.

The objectives of the MHIRT program are to increase the number of students from health disparities populations and the number of underrepresented minorities pursuing advanced degrees in the sciences, making students aware of minority and international health problems. All travel expenses will be paid and students will receive summer stipends for their participation. For more information on the MHIRT program, click here.

The UCLA NSF program sponsors students to participate in hands-on research with leading UCLA faculty in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Medina will be participating in the ten-week Center for Academic & Research Excellence Science, Engineering and Mathematics Summer Research Program and will be matched with a mentor that fits his interests. In addition to conducting laboratory research, the program features seminars on career opportunities and applying to graduate school; workshops on how to write personal statements; how to give research presentations; and GRE preparation. Students will receive a stipend, travel reimbursement, on-campus housing allowance, and meal allowance. Upon completion of the program, participants will be better prepared and motivated to attend graduate school and to pursue research careers. For more information on the program, click here.

- Tigress Briggs

Photo above: (L-R) Senior biology students from the MBRS RISE program look forward to their summer research experiences abroad. (L-R) Erick Medina, Julissa Castaneda, Onyeka Uzomah, and Sylvia Bonilla.