Yale BioSTEP Research for Undergraduates
Overview
Shanique Brown
Bowdoin College '04
Yale BioSTEP (Biomedical Science Training and Enrichment Program) provides intensive, short-term summer research training for undergraduates, especially students from groups underrepresented in biomedical sciences at research-intensive universities.
Trainees conduct research for 10 weeks at Yale in laboratories and training sites at Yale School of Medicine and the West Haven Veterans Administration Medical Center. Each student works in the laboratory of a Yale faculty member who serves as a mentor.
Funded by NIH-NHLBI (National Heart Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health) since 1992, BioSTEP is administered by the Office of Multicultural Affairs. Participants receive a stipend and full coverage for the cost of room, board, and travel.
Positions for 24 students are offered each year. Participants are selected competitively from a national applicant pool of students attending colleges and universities, including Historically Black Colleges and Hispanic-Serving Institutions.
Research Program
The summer research training extends for 10 weeks
beginning in the first week of June and ending in mid-August. The program offers weekly seminars and workshops on topics relevant to biomedical science
and their application to clinical medicine. All students present their research findings orally or in poster format
at the end of the program.
Research training opportunities are available in many basic and clinical research departments and and programs.
Research Areas
Yale School of Medicine research programs are described in more detail on the web pages of the Yale School of Medicine departments and research centers, core research facilities, and faculty research profiles.
Career Development
BioSTEP participants attend weekly luncheon seminars with Yale faculty researchers. Students gain an in-depth
view of the lives, careers, and scientific expertise of Yale's physician-scientists.
Participants also meet with admissions representatives of the medical school and graduate school admissions offices.
The Dean and Director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs meets individually with students to plan and discuss their specific career plans.
On a limited basis, students may be assigned to shadowing experiences and clinical exposure at the Yale Medical Center hospital and clinic facilities.
Summer Activities at Yale
Yale University, a few blocks from the Medical Center, and New Haven offer a full range of educational, social, and cultural events during the summer. BioSTEP students have numerous opportunities to meet and socialize with current Yale medical and graduate science students. Program coordinators organize weekend day trips and evening events for BioSTEP students to enjoy the beaches, cities, and scenery of New England.
Stipend
Each participant receives a stipend of approximately $4500 and housing at no cost. Students live in single rooms in Edward S. Harkness Hall, the medical school dormitory located on the medical center campus. Travel (air, train, or automobile) to and from New Haven is fully paid for or reimbursed.
Application Information
Applicants must be college undergraduates who have completed introductory college chemistry and biology. Students applying for or admitted to medical school or graduate programs are not eligible.
Only United State citizens or permanent residents are eligible for this federally-funded program.
Required application materials:
- A written application
- Two letters of recommendation
- College transcript
The application deadline is February 1st. Candidate selections are made in early March. Application materials may be requested from the Office of Multicultural Affairs or downloaded electronically.
To download the application, you must have Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. Acrobat Reader can be obtained at
www.adobe.com.