NIDDK Short-term Education Program for Underrepresented Persons (STEP-UP)

Undergraduate Program

PLEASE NOTE: The application deadline for the completed application package including the application, transcripts, and letters of reference is February 15, 2010. No applications will accepted after this date.

Program Purpose:

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease’s STEP-UP Program is designed to provide short-term research education for undergraduate students from racial and ethnic minority or disadvantaged backgrounds to expose them to research within the mission area of NIDDK. 

The Program exposes students to research in areas of diabetes, endocrinology, metabolism, nutrition, obesity, digestive, liver, urologic, kidney, and hematologic diseases.

The Program provides support for ten full-time consecutive weeks of basic or clinical research education and training during the summer provided by experienced faculty currently active in research related to the mission of NIDDK.

Eligible Students (At the time the research begins):

• Undergraduate students who have completed at least one year at an accredited institution
• U.S. Citizens, non-citizen nationals, or legal permanent residents

Provisions:

• Student Participation Allowance ($4000)
• Education-related expenses fee provided to the research mentor
• Accommodations and travel expenses to the Annual Undergraduate Scientific Session and Research Presentations in August in Atlanta, Georgia are provided
• The output cost of the scientific poster is included
• Housing is not provided.  All housing expenses are the responsibility of the student.  For students opting to perform their research with a mentor at one of the coordinating institutions, a limited amount of on-campus housing may be available, and students should inquire within that institution
• NOTE:   Travel to and from the research internship location, to include the cost of parking, is not provided and is the responsibility of the student

Location and Duration:

• The research experience is provided nationally by experienced investigators in their laboratories for 10 consecutive weeks of full-time research
• The STEP-UP Program will match students with a research mentor at their choice of a research institution when possible
• Students may do their research at one of the four undergraduate coordinating institutions:  University of Maryland Baltimore County, Virginia Commonwealth University, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and Penn State University/Hershey Medical Center; or at another site of their choosing

Application Process

A complete application to the NIH STEP-UP program includes:

1. Complete application

                  Online application

The on-line application is offered in hopes that it will make the STEP-UP application process as easy and convenient as possible for you and to insure timely receipt of the application before the February 15, 2010 deadline.

PAPER APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED

Submit only one application.

2.  Letters of Recommendation

Two Letters of Recommendation are required from individuals who are familiar with your academic abilities and accomplishments. IF YOU WERE A STEP-UP OR NHSSSRP PARTICIPANT IN A PREVIOUS SUMMER PROGRAM, one of the two letters MUST be from your most recent STEP-UP research mentor. In the application, you will be asked to provide the names and contact information for the two people who will write letters for you. Students should request Letters of Recommendation at least one month in advance to insure timely completion and receipt of the letter. The recommendation provider should mail the letter to the address indicated below. Please download the Letter of Recommendation template found on the Instructions page link below.

3.  Official Academic Transcripts

An official academic transcript must be submitted in an envelope, sealed by the appropriate school official, to the address indicated below.

 
STEP-UP Coordinating Centers

Virginia Commonwealth University
(Richmond, Virginia)

TBA
Program Coordinator
Health Careers/Education and Special Services
Virginia Commonwealth University - MCV Campus
VMI Building, Suite 203C
P.O. Box 980124
Richmond, VA 23298-0124
Phone: (804) 827-2074
Email: pipelineapp@vcu.edu

University of Maryland Baltimore County
(Baltimore, Maryland)

Ms. Cynthia Hollis
Program Coordinator
STEP-UP Undergraduate Program
Department of Biological Sciences, BS #477
University of Maryland Baltimore County
1000 Hilltop Circle
Baltimore, MD  21250
Email: chollis1@umbc.edu
Phone:  (410) 455-8071

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
(Los Angeles, California)

Pennsylvania State University
(Hershey, Pennsylvania)

Dr. Gail Matters
Program Coordinator
STEP-UP Undergraduate Program
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, H171
Penn State College of Medicine
500 University Drive
Hershey, PA  17033
Phone: (717) 531-4098
Email: gmatters@psu.edu