Summer Research Support on Campus in Biology

Summer support on campus comes in three forms:

1. Support from a faculty member’s grant to fund research on a specific project.
2. Support from funds provided to the College (by foundations, individuals, or groups) to give students research experiences. These opportunities are sometimes open to all students, but in some cases, the donor may restrict eligibility to specific types of research or locations.
3. Support from grants awarded to individual faculty members or groups to provide research training in a particular field (for example, Beckman Fellowships). Most fellowships offer $2,500 to $4,000, and may sometimes include free dorm housing.

The Charles Center offers several types of summer fellowships for students interested in biology. All require students to be returning in the fall semester, and application deadlines are typically in late February. You may apply for more than one fellowship, but can only accept one.

Proposals are generally written by the student, with extensive guidance—including topic selection—from the faculty mentor. Students must ensure they have a professor who is willing and able to supervise the project. While not required, it is strongly recommended to have your supervising professor review and comment on draft proposals and help with revisions. The final proposal should be your own written work.

The Biology Department can often provide additional sources of support. Sometimes, funding is available through specific programs (such as those sponsored by companies like Merck or Beckman) for students doing summer research. Application deadlines for these programs typically fall between February and April, and announcements are posted or emailed to Biology majors.

Some summers, the Llanso-Sherman Award ($2,000) is available to support biomedical research in biology. This award is specifically for work related to medicine. The fellowship rotates among several science departments, so it is not available for biology every year. Interested students should consult with faculty to determine who might be available as a supervisor. The application process begins with a letter of nomination from a professor.