STEP-UP - NIH/NIDDK

The STEP-UP Summer Internship Program Short-Term Educational Program for Underrepresented Persons), a National Consortium funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is an opportunity for students from diverse backgrounds and communities to participate in summer research in the areas of diabetes, nutrition, obesity, and digestive, kidney, and hematological diseases. The STEP-UP program supports students for ten full-time consecutive weeks of basic or clinical research with experienced faculty. The research experience begins on June 3, 2013 and is completed by August 8, 2013. The program culminates with an all expense paid trip to the Annual Undergraduate STEP-UP Conference in August 2013 at the NIH in Bethesda, MD. Students will present their summer research to peers, mentors, and experts from the scientific community.

This opportunity is open to undergraduate students, including African-American, Hispanic American, American Indian, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islanders, who have completed at least one year of college by June 2013. Students must be U.S. Citizens, non-citizen nationals, or legal permanent residents. The program provides students with:

A Student Participation Allowance of $3,500 issued directly to the student
On-line Research Training/Orientation program in May 2013
Travel expenses to the STEP-UP Annual Undergraduate Scientific Session and Research Presentations in early August 2013 at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD.

The Penn State STEP-UP program is headed by Dr. Brian Reeves and coordinated by Dr Gail Matters (gmatters@psu.edu). Contact Dr. Matters with questions or for more information regarding the STEP-UP program.

For more information on how to apply, please visit the NIH STEP-UP website at http://stepup.niddk.nih.gov/. Online applications are available now and must be completed before February 15, 2013.