
Summer Undergraduate MSTP Research (SUMR) Program
Mentors: If you have problems uploading your letters, please email them directly to sumr@uiowa.edu. Mentor letters are due Wednesday, February 8, 2023.
Link to Infoready Application System
Application will go live automatically on December 1st.
Look for "2023 SUMR (Summer Undergrad MSTP Research Program)"
- Click the "Apply" button.
- If you are not a current University of Iowa student, click on "Register" under "Login For Other Users" and create a username and password
- If you are a University of Iowa Student use the hawkid login
- You will be able to save an incomplete application and complete it later.
- Email sumr@uiowa.edu if you have any issues with the new application system.
- The deadline for the application is February 1st, 2023 (and it will close at midnight on Feb 1).
- The deadline for Mentor or Reference Letters being one week later on February 8, 2023. If they have any problems submitting, have them email to sumr@uiowa.edu.
SUMR Program Features
- May 22, 2023 - July 28, 2023
- 10-week research project conducted in the laboratory of a faculty member in the biomedical sciences (including basic, translational, population health, and engineering sciences)
- Weekly seminar series - a forum for discussions emphasizing how science and medicine intersect
- Case-based learning exercises - discussion of mechanisms underlying disease process
- Clinical skills learning sessions - to apply concepts from case-based learning and to practice skills that will be useful in medical school
- “Tales of Career Development”: Informal lunchtime conversations with MD and MD/PhD physician scientists and PhD faculty engaged in medically-relevant research
- Career development seminars (including applying to an MD/PhD program; personal and research statement writing)
- One-on-one physician scientist advising and shadowing experiences (2 to 4 times during the 10-week period, COVID-19 restrictions-permitting)
- Social and mentoring activities with MD/PhD students
- Opportunity to present a poster at the Summer Undergraduate Research Conference with other undergraduates on campus (usually the last Wednesday in July)
Support
- $4,150 for the 10-week period
- Lodging in a University housing facility (double occupancy)
- Travel allowance for transportation to/from Iowa City
Application Requirements
Previous research experience of at least one summer rotation or a semester of work in a laboratory. Labs for bioscience or other courses do not meet this requirement.
- A completed online application form
- Descriptions of up to three research experiences
- (downloadable template within the application or download here:
Research Experience Template)
- (downloadable template within the application or download here:
- A Curriculum Vitae
- (downloadable example within application or download here:
Curriculum Vitae Example)
- (downloadable example within application or download here:
- Transcript(s) from undergraduate institution(s)
- Unofficial ones you can easily pdf are preferable
- Two letters of recommendation
- At least one letter must come from your primary research mentor.
- The second letter should come from someone who has worked with you personally or academically (course instructors, academic advisors, or previous employers, volunteer supervisors, etc)
Eligibility
- Be a citizen or a permanent resident of the United States
- Be a rising sophomore, junior, or senior (your earliest anticipated graduation should not be before December 2023)
- Major in a STEM field or premed
- Prior research experience required (see above)
- We welcome MARC U*STAR or U-RISE students looking for a summer away rotation
FAQs
- How are mentors chosen?
- By looking at your stated research interests, we reach out to a few faculty working in that area to see if any are interested in mentoring a SUMR student.
- If a particular mentor is mentioned, we try to reach out to that faculty member to see if they are interested in mentoring.
- We often pair participants open to any experience with those faculty who are excellent mentors with a long history with the SUMR program.
Inquiries
If you have any questions at all, please send them to sumr@uiowa.edu
SUMR Program
University of Iowa MSTP
2206 MERF
Iowa City, Iowa 52242Phone: (319) 335-8303
Last updated 12/21/2022