St. Jude Summer Plus Fellowship

St Jude Partnership Luncheon CAMPUS MAP

Rhodes and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital work together to offer qualified students an intensive research experience that pairs Rhodes students with St. Jude scientists and places students into the hospital’s professional laboratories for period of one summer, one academic year, and a possible second summer. Through this experience, students become fully engaged citizens in the scientific community of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, a world-class clinical and research facility for pediatric patients.

Students work on independent research projects, participate in lectures, group meetings, and onsite discussions, and present their work at local, national, and international venues. Many of the participants go on to pursue advanced degrees in medicine, pharmacy, veterinary science, neuroscience, genetics, biomedical engineering and many other related areas. The program begins in mid-May and continues through early August of the following year. There is also an International Summer Plus experience available.

Benefits:

• Outstanding research experience in a world-class facility.
• Interaction with scientists from a variety of disciplines and locations.
• Participants receive F11 credit.
• Research can be extended for elective or Honors Research credit after the two summer/two semester commitment ends.

What students say about their Summer Plus Fellowship:

• This program exceeded my expectations in terms of the degree to which I was exposed to state-of-the-art research technologies and brilliant scientists form all over the world.
• This experience has helped me discover myself as a person, has challenged me to become a life-long student, and has made me a better scientist.
• I have a much better idea how I′m able to apply the science I have learned in class to meaningful scientific questions.  
• This program has been instrumental in reshaping how I view the impact of biomedical research.
• I  learned many things about myself and changed how I envision my future in the medical profession.

Those eligible to apply:

• First year students, Sophomores, Juniors (who will be seniors during the academic portion of the program). It is possible to complete the second summer of the program after graduation.
• Students in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, neuroscience, physics, psychology.
• For the Summer Plus International position, applicants should have completed Spanish 102.

Expectations of the program:

• One to two summers, each 12 weeks of full-time work (40hrs/week). Students are paid a stipend of roughly $9.70/hr. Student summer housing on the Rhodes campus is covered by the program. Preference is given to students willing to commit to a second paid summer.
• Two semesters of unpaid work at 8 - 10 hrs/week for academic credit to be determined by your major (typically 2 credits / semester). In most cases, this can count as upper level credit in the major.
• Students submit a research summary at the end of the fall semester, a formal research paper at the end of the spring semester, a reflective essay at the completion of the program, and must make a formal research presentation. Students are paired with a Rhodes faculty advisor as well as a St. Jude Faculty mentor.

Research areas (see the link at the upper right of this page for available project descriptions):

• Biochemistry
• Developmental Neurobiology
• Genetics and Tumor Cell Biology
• Immunology
• Infectious Diseases
• Oncology
• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Radiological Sciences
• Structural Biology

Summer Plus International Position

This is an opportunity for two Rhodes student to engage in clinical research and clinical shadowing experiences at the Calvo Mackenna Hospital in Santiago, Chile. This international program is structured in a similar fashion to the Memphis-based Summer Plus program, but has a component that is carried out at St. Jude′s partner institution in Chile. The exact structure will be determined once a finalist is chosen, but past participants have spend the first summer in Chile, followed by an academic year and possible second summer at St. Jude Children′s Research Hospital. Two or three applicants for this position will be selected for interviews in which the match between the student’s interests and skills and the work being done at the Calvo Mackenna are explored. This discussion will include how the individual student’s program might be best structured to match his or her needs with ongoing work in Memphis and abroad. Two areas of recent work in Santiago have been clinical pharmacology and molecular biology.

When and how to apply?

• Students interested should attend one of the 2012 information sessions: November 20, 12:15-1:00pm and December 6, 12:15-1:00pm, both in Frazier-Jelke B lecture hall.
• Download and complete the application form (MS Word doc), and return it to Dr. Ann Viano by 5pm on January 21, 2013. Applicants are asked to select St. Jude mentors in whose work they are interested, and they should look through the list of available projects (2013 projects will be posted by November 15) and select up to five potential mentors. The application also asks for general information and two brief essays; one discussing time commitments during the program and the other discussing how the program fits the student′s career goals. Responses to these questions will be carefully considered by the selection committee.
• Download the recommendation form (MS Word doc). The student should complete the top portion, and then forward it, along with their request, to one faculty member (preferably a science professor). For the International position, applicants should ask two faculty members to submit letters; one pertaining to scientific abilities and one to Spanish language skills. Recommenders must complete their letters and return to Dr. Ann Viano by 5pm on January 21, 2013.
• The Rhodes selection committee, composed of diverse group of faculty, will choose finalists from the applications by early February. Selection is based on motivation for and commitment to the program, performance in course and lab work, and recommendation by the faculty evaluator. Those finalists selected will be interviewed by the St. Jude faculty in mid-February. Final acceptance into the program will be announced by March 15.
• For questions about the program, contact Dr. Ann Viano (viano@rhodes.edu).